


Treason

by AshleyKetchum



Series: Trials and traitors [1]
Category: Fullmetal Alchemist - All Media Types
Genre: And will endure hell for them, Central character roy mustang, EYEGOUGING, Edward Elric Keeps Alchemy, Execution, Fingernail Removal, Fire Torture, Izumi and olivier are the oddest pair of friends, Kimblee is absolutely vile, Maes Hughes Lives, Male on male assault, Prison, Protective Roy Mustang, Roy loves his team, Semi OC olivier, Semi motherly olivier, Softer olivier, Team Mustang - Freeform, Threats of Rape/Non-Con, Torture, Waterboarding, Wrongful Imprisonment, but it wont be a happy survival, shoutout2003, tooth extraction
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-01
Updated: 2021-02-26
Packaged: 2021-03-06 10:08:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 17
Words: 36,744
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21635032
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AshleyKetchum/pseuds/AshleyKetchum
Summary: The team has been arrested for the events that took place on the promised day, branded traitors of the state. Detained in an island prison notorious for torture and being subjected to some of the worst interrogation methods imaginable, Team Mustang discovers just how far they will go to protect each other and escape the hangman's noose
Series: Trials and traitors [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1987756
Comments: 102
Kudos: 166





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> NEW STORY!!  
finally, the ideas for this have been flowing through me like crazy, so i am able to actually write!
> 
> traitor island is alot like guantanamo bay but for people deemed enemies of the state.
> 
> this story is going to be VIOLENT! ill label each overly violent chapter in case it bothers some of you.
> 
> UPDATE DEC 2020
> 
> While I want to keep spoilers to a minimum, if you feel something needs a Trigger Warning. Please tell me and I will add it.
> 
> Final note, this story is centered mostly on Roy, with Ed being a little more secondary. I apologize for not being more clear on that!
> 
> i hope you enjoy!  
~AshK

It was a crisp autumn morning the day Ed decided to finally return to the office. It took six long months after gaining his brothers body back for him to finally make the decision. At first his mind was set in stone, but as the months wore on, and Al became more independent, Ed found himself getting stir crazy. His life up until the promised day had been so chaotic it felt strange and out of place to settle down. At first he considered looking into restoring his own limbs now that Al was secured into his own body, but decided against it. After an over abundance of tossing the idea back and forth, he came to the realization that the automail was more practical for him, and he still wouldn't know what to do with himself after he finished that. He began to fear his life becoming stagnant.

That is why at this very moment he was walking up the large stone steps of Central Command, a letter in his hand. He didn't expect to be nervous, but as he approached the large double doors, he felt a chill run down his spine. Was he truly making the right decision? Inhaling and exhaling deeply through his nose, he stepped into the building, head held high. It looked exactly as he had remembered it, without a stone out of place. The halls were silent, save for the echo of Ed's boots on the floor, sending another wave of uneasiness cascading down his spine.

"Hey Chief! You're back!" A voice startled him from behind. He spun quickly to see Jean Havoc, a cigarette between his lips, walking towards him with a grin on his face. "Didn't think i'd be seeing you again, at least not this soon." They fell into step next to each other, Ed secretly thankful for the company in the eerie hallway.

"Yeah, Al is recovering alot quicker than we had anticipated, so i decided to hand this in." He lifted his hand with the letter in it, a small smile spreading across his lips. "I think its time." Havoc's smile faded.

"Oh, right your resignation letter. It's too bad, we are all going to miss having you around." Ed laughed to himself, lowering the letter to his side once again.

"Well, you won't miss me too much. I've decided to renew my contract." Havoc's mouth fell open, the half gone cigarette almost falling to the floor. Before he could get another word out, they were pushing the doors open to the office. Everyone inside looked up, their eyes lighting up slightly at the sight of the young alchemist.

"Ed! It's so good to see you!" Feury beamed, leaving his desk and walking over to the two men. "How is Al? Recovering well?" Ed smiled, suddenly feeling right at home.

"Al is doing great! That's why I'm here."

"I see you brought your letter." Breda said, his smile fading. "That's too bad."

"Yes, you were quite the asset to our team here." Falman chimed in. Everyone began asking questions at once, Ed looking from one face to another, his head spinning.

"Gentlemen, get back to your paperwork and stop smothering Ed!" A stern, familiar female voice demanded from the back of the room. As the men dispersed, he spotted Riza standing by the entrance to Roy's office. She smiled warmly at him, motioning for him to come over.

"It is great to have you back Edward, even if it is only for this brief moment." Ed returned her smile, his eyes trailing down to the letter in his hand.

"Yeah, I've missed you guys, life has been pretty dull since everything ended." He admitted, feeling his cheeks grow pink. Riza placed a hand on his shoulder, giving it a light squeeze.

"The Colonel is in his office, I'm sure he will be happy to see you." Ed's eyes traveled to the door behind Riza for a brief moment before smiling wide at the stern woman.

"Thanks! I doubt this will take long so I will see you all in a moment." Ed slowly knocked on the door, exhaling slowly as he turned the knob to enter the office. Roy was sitting at his desk, a stack of paperwork sitting to his left in a semi neat stack. He looked up, surprise crossing over his face.

"Fullmetal, You are here to turn in your letter of Resignation, is that correct?" He said flatly, his usual mask firmly in place. Ed frowned, tossing his letter on the desk.

"Gee, it's nice to see you too Colonel Bastard." He grumbled, folding his arms. "Also, I've done alot of thinking the past few months, and I've decided i'm not quite ready to leave yet." For the second time in the short period that Ed had been inside the small office, a look of surprise replaced the mans stoic mask.

"Are you serious? That's wonderful news. What made you change your mind?" He motioned for Ed to sit as he opened the envelope on his desk.

"Well, you see, at first I couldn't wait to get out of here for good..." He paused, looking at his hands which were folded in his lap. "But as time went on, I realized that just because I got Al's body back doesn't mean my job is over. There is an entire country that needs protecting, especially now that Hakuro has been appointed the new Fuhrer. I can't just walk away from what we are all working for, making this country as corrupt free as possible." Roy quickly scanned the paperwork Ed had filled out to renew his contract. Taking a pen off the desk, he signed his name on the last line and looked up into Ed's golden eyes.

"I am surprised and honestly a little relieved you have come to this decision. It really isn't the same around here without you causing some sort of trouble." He smirked at the blonde, who in turn glared at his commanding officer.

"At least I don't slack on my paperwork, asshole." Roy snorted, shaking his head.

"Still the same Ed, that's also a relief." He opened his mouth to ask what the older man meant when the door to the office swung open with such force it crashed into the wall. Three Soldiers stood in the doorway, guns raised.

"Can I help you?" Roy asked smoothly, his eyes narrowing at the men pointing guns at himself and his subordinate.

"Put your hands in the air and exit the room." The tallest man barked, his finger twitching on the trigger.

"Like hell I will!" Ed growled, raising his hands to clap. Before he had a chance to connect his palms, however, a bullet sped past his head within inches of his ear. He froze in his spot, his heart pounding in his chest.

"Don't make us tell you twice." The man said, using his gun to point to the door. "Now move." Roy and Ed exchanged worried looks before lifting their hands and making their way back out into the main office. There were more soldiers there, their guns pointed at the rest of the team who were along the wall, their hands on their head.

"Join the others." One of the other soldiers commanded, to which Ed and Roy complied without a word. After a few moments of tense silence, a General stepped forward, a piece of paper in his large hand. Roy sucked in an annoyed breath, staring the bearded man in the eyes.

"What is the meaning of this General Rickert?" He asked, trying to keep his voice from shaking.

"Roy Mustang," He started, ignoring his question, "Edward Elric, Riza Hawkeye, Heymans Breda, Jean Havoc, Kain Feury and Vato Falman, you are hereby under arrest for the assassination of Fuhrer King Bradley, outstanding acts of treason, and conspiracy to overthrow the Amestrian government. Anything you say can and will be held against you." The bearded man wickedly smiled, while his men worked to handcuff the team, save Ed and Roy, who were put into stocks to prevent them from using their alchemy. The team was roughly led through the building towards the entrance, whispers and gasps echoing down the hall as they passed. Only when they were outside did Roy finally break the silence.

"The jail is in the basement of this building, surely you would know that." As they approached the large black vehicle, Rickert roughly grabbed a fist full of Roy's hair, roughly shoving him through the door.

"That's because you aren't going to the jail Mustang." Rickert laughed, watching as the others were roughly and painfully loaded into the truck as well. Ed wiggled between Havoc and Roy, trying to avoid sitting in one of the mens laps.

"Where the fuck are you taking us then?" He snarled, wishing his hands were free so he could strangle the life from the general. Rickert took Ed's cheeks between his thumb and first finger, getting way to close to Ed's face for comfort.

"Well Fullmetal, you and the rest of this so called 'team Mustang' you have created are going to be loaded on the next boat out of here." Roy looked over his team, none of which were trying to hide the concern in their eyes.

"So, you are banishing us from Amestris?" He asked sternly. Rickert exited the truck, standing in the doorway to deliver one last quick message.

"Of course not, you and your team are on the first boat out to traitor island, where we know you will never escape until the noose forces the soul straight from your worthless bodies."


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright! Chapter two is finally done! Sorry it took forever i had some crazy stuff happen in my personal life that hindered my ability to finish this. I apologize.
> 
> In this chapter (and possibly other parts of the story as well) I will be referencing the teams middle names. I've created a list of my own, so if they sound stupid i apologize.
> 
> also the official name of the island is "Chinui" Island, which translates to "Torment Island" from Romanian. Its going to start getting intense here and its going to be a roller coaster from here on out!
> 
> please enjoy! Let me know what you think or if you have any tips for me
> 
> ~AshleyK

The drive to the docks was silent, save for the occasional cough or grunt from General Rickert. The prisoners mostly kept their eyes down, too nervous to provoke the large man driving the truck. Ed dared to raise his eyes for a brief moment, catching Rickert's gaze in the overhead mirror.

"You look a little scared Fullmetal." He sneered, his eyes watching the teen in the mirror. "You might be the youngest inmate in the history of the island. Seems to be a trend with you." His eyes darkened. "I'm sure they will have some special plans for you." Ed felt a chill run down his spine, his eyes returning to the fists sticking out through the stocks around his wrists. He wanted to yell, wanted to kick and scream and cause a crash. He wanted to get himself and Mustang and everyone else being kidnapped out of there. But for once, he was truly afraid. He knew how serious the charges against them were. Even if he did cause an accident there was no guarantee that they weren't being followed by armed soldiers, let alone a guarantee that they would make it out alive or conscious. For once, Ed was at a loss for words, a loss of the will to fight. He tightened his fists, closing his eyes tight to try to ignore the burning he felt in his heart.

"Well, Fullmetal," Rickert started with a snort. "Here's what the island is like. First, you all sleep in the same room. You undress in the same room, you shower together, you even take a shit in front of each other." Ed squeezed his eyes together even tighter, until he could see the spots dancing behind his sore eyelids. "Then there's the mess hall. Nothing too bad happens there, if by chance your food isn't moldy or spoiled. Then, of course, there's my favorite room. the interrogation room." Rickert paused, taking a brief moment to look into the mirror, this time not at Ed, but at Roy. "Mustang, why don't you explain what that room is like? You are a high enough rank to know of the island and its routines." All eyes trailed over to Roy, who looked to each member of his team, his eyes drowning in defeat.

"They try to get information out of you." Roy said quickly and quietly, avoiding the golden eyes that were searing into his soul. General Rickert half sighed, half laughed.

And what about if you don't give us the information we are looking for?" Roy, like Ed had before, squeezed his shackled hand into a tight fist, his nails digging into his palm. "Come on Mustang, tell the kid so he's not so nervous about your little vacation." Roy swallowed hard, finally bringing his eyes up to stare daggers at the eyes staring at him through the mirror.

"They use highly unethical means to try to get said information, even if that information is false and the person is innocent." A small smile spread across his lips, pleased at the angry look in Rickert's deep brown eyes.

"If you want to call it that, sure. It's going to be nice to see the almighty Roy Mustang bowing on his knees begging for mercy, knocked down lower than the flea you are." Roy closed his eyes again, ending their tense conversation in favor of the silence that had filled the vehicle before.

0-0-0-0

After a long, uncomfortable two hour drive, the men finally reached the docks. A fine rain had begun falling about thirty minutes before, leaving the earth around them shining in moisture, Roy almost laughing to himself at the irony of the weather matching the mood. Even as he stared at his bound hands, listening to General Rickert taunt and terrorize his team, he couldn't wrap his mind around what was happening, espically after everything they had been through. And Ed, poor Ed, way older in spirit than his short eighteen years on this earth, who shouldn't have been dragged into military business in the first place, was sitting between himself and Havoc in the same binds. He looked so small and helpless, and it made Roy's stomach sick. He'd been through enough, he didn't need the threat of torture and execution hanging over his head as well. If any of them didn't deserve any of this, it was Ed.

The vehicle slowed to a stop, the sound of the crashing waves the only noise above the quiet breathing of the team. A smaller vehicle was parked next to them, but before Roy had a chance to see what it was, he was roughly snatched by the arm, the stocks holding his wrists apart behind his back painfully causing his shoulder to slightly dislocate. They were lined up horizontally in front of the dock leading to the ship, a slim, older man with the eyes of a snake standing a few feet in front of them. Roy made eye contact with the man, swallowing hard when the realization of who he was looking at finally sunk in. He was the warden of the vessel of prison ships that delivered their breathing cargo to their new hells, and he was absolutely brutal.

"When i say your name, I want you to respond clearly with Present, Sir." He shouted over the roar of waves crashing on the shore. "You will not speak unless spoken to, and you will only address me as sir. If you so much as breathe out of line i will beat you within an inch of your life. Do i make myself clear?" in unison the team let out a strong yet fearful "Yes sir!" before continuing to stare blankly ahead.

"Roy Ezra Mustang." He shouted. Roy swallowed the sick lump in his throat quickly.

"Present Sir."

"Riza Lilly Hawkeye."

"Present sir." She kept a straight face, but Roy could physically feel her shaking next to him. He discretely moved his hand to her arm, softly rubbing it with his thumb in a weak attempt to comfort her.

"Jean Thilo Havoc."

"Present Sir."

"Vato James Falman"

"Present Sir." A loud clap of thunder shook the air around them as the rain began to pour down in sheets.

"Kain Felix Feury."

"Present sir."

"Heymans Gunther Breda."

"Present Sir."

"Edward Vaan Elric?" Roy looked at the teen out of the corner of his eye, and even with restricted sight he could tell how angry and afraid he was.

"Present." He semi grumbled. The warden looked up from his clip board, his eyes tunneling into Ed. Roy closed his eyes, wishing his youngest subordinate hadn't picked now of all times to gain back some of his defiance. One of the armed guards standing behind them crashed the butt of his gun into the back of Ed's head, knocking him forward into the dirt. Roy watched helplessly as he struggled back to his feet, blood trickling down the corner of his mouth.

"Present...sir." He said, eyes trailing down in defeat. The warden nodded his head quickly, a smile creeping at the corners of his mouth.

"You would do well to start following orders boy." He sneered, his eyes narrowing. "They will eat you alive on the island." He laughed to himself before looking at the clipboard. "That would appear to be all the prisoners on this transport." He motioned for the guards to approach the prisoners. "Get them loaded into the brig with the other one, We set sail in thirty minutes." Without another word, the team was briskly and roughly led out of the rain and into the giant ship. The foul odor of old blood, body sweat and human excrement assaulted their nostrils with such a force Roy had to level his breathing to avoid vomiting, and he noticed Feury's face go from pale to a sickly shade of green in a split second. As they were led down the steps to the lowest portion of the ship, they passed many large cells. Other humans, both male and female, were chained to the walls inside, each grimly awaiting their fate. With every floor they descended the smell grew more and more potent, an offensive reminder that the lower they went, the more dangerous the criminal. Roy kept his head bowed, trying to ignore the cat calls coming from some of the less stable prisoners, specifically the ones using vulgarities against Riza.

"Hey Mustang, Your whore officer is pretty, but she's not the only fine piece of ass walking down this hallway." A voice yelled out from inside a cell. "There's always the small blonde boy beside you or that baby faced boy with the glasses. I'm sure their bodies would really give a man a work out." Roy saw Ed and Feury look at each other in fear, both asking the silent question, _are they really going to do that?_ The man kept yelling after them, shouting about how Ed must have been down on his knees for his commanding officer to receive such a position at his age, but as they descended the last set of stairs leading into the very bottom of the ship, the sound of his voice became nothing more than a muffled slur of sounds.

They approached a set of large, rusted iron doors with a small, barred window on each one. The air was at its worst down there, the smell only intensified by the hot moisture hanging around them like a damp sheet. One of the guards, slipped the key into the lock, the metal groaning in protest as the heavy doors slowly swung open on their stiff hinges. They were ushered inside, and the door closed behind them, leaving them partially blinded by the dark. Roy looked around, taking note of the fuzzy black shadow sitting on the bench in front of them.

"We will be taking your cuffs off and securing you to the wall of the ship." One of the guards said as the rest of them began quick work of chaining them all to the wall like dogs. "It will be a twelve hour journey to your new home, so get comfortable." He laughed, stepping aside as yet another man came walking into the room.

"Tsk Tsk gentleman..." The smooth as silk voice purred, getting closer to the middle of the room. "You must have beat the poor man about the head too much, he still has yet to wake." It took a moment for Roy to register what the faceless voice was saying, but once it clicked he looked over to the fuzzy shadow next to him and as his eyes focused through the dark it took all of his strength not to cry out.

There, sitting next to him unconscious with his wrists bound above his head was none other than his best friend, Maes Hughes.

"I see you finally noticed your traveling companion. He was unfortunately out of the office today so we had to grab him at home." The velvet voice crooned, keeping his face hidden in shadow. "He had gotten slightly defiant, and we couldn't have that happen, now could we?"

_I know that voice..._

"It really is a shame to see such a waste of potentially useful skills..."

_Whose voice is that?_

"Two powerful alchemists, the best sniper in the military, a photographic memory, a stealth heavy lockpick, two highly intelligent officers, and a genius in technology."

_Whose voice is that?_

"They are going to wipe the floor with all of you."

_WHOSE FUCKING VOICE IS THAT?_

_"_Kimblee!" Ed gasped, squirming in his restraints. "I...this isn't possible." Kimblee laughed to himself, finally stepping away from the shadows to reveal himself.

"In the flesh, fullmetal."

"But...I..." Kimblee approached Ed, placing his chin between his thumb and first finger, giving it a firm squeeze.

"You watched me die? You helped murder me? You and this little freakshow put an end to me?" He brought his face close to Ed's, their lips almost touching as blood began to seep from the soft flesh of Ed's chin. "Your brother wasn't the only one fixed by a stone." He threw Ed's face back, swiftly punching him in the stomach with all the strength he could muster. The cell went silent, save for Ed's harsh, staggered breathing. "I'm sure you want to know why I am here."

"You...are our interrogator." A weak voice almost whispered, taking Roy by surprise. "Too dangerous...to be around the normal...human population, you are also banished to this island...but not as a prisoner." Hughes struggled to lift his bloodied head, a small, heartbroken smile spreading across his lips as he looked at Roy.

"I guess the flames favorite dog is just as smart as everyone said he was." He taunted, walking up to Roy and grabbing his throat gently. He began rubbing the side of his neck with his thumb, soaking in the uncomfortable fidgeting with sick satisfaction."However, will he be smart enough to talk or keep his mouth shut?" Kimblee tightened his fingers around Roy's throat, cutting off his air supply.

"Consider this payback for the hell you put me through. I will make sure you suffer to the greatest extent possible without bringing on death. Just mark my words, Mustang, you are going to regret surviving the promised day." He threw Roy's head back, stepping back towards the doors.

"Enjoy your ride my friends, we arrive at Chinui Island at dawn." A sharp, piercing laugh escaped from his throat as he walked back towards the doors, stepping on the other side of them and slamming them shut with a loud bang, leaving the shell shocked and terrified team alone to their own thoughts.


	3. chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'M FINALLY BACK!
> 
> Sorry about the late update. I had let someone use my computer and didn't get it back until recently. Now that I have it, updates will be alot more consistent. I'm so sorry about the delay!
> 
> ~Ash K

Silence fell over the prisoners like a heavy, wet blanket as they imagined the shoreline growing smaller and smaller as they were hauled to their new destination like cattle. Roy couldn't bring himself to raise his eyes from the floor, the thought of seeing the pain on his loyal teams faces making his stomach turn almost as much as the smell of the brig did. Occasionally, he did move his eyes to the side to make sure Maes or Riza, who were on either side of him, were okay, but mainly his focus was on the dying cockroach near his knees, struggling for those last moments of life. He exhaled slowly, trying to push the fear building in his chest away.

Is this what will become of us? Dying on display, struggling for those last few breaths...looking pitiful and helpless, like nothing but a cockroach...

"Colonel...you have been watching that poor insect struggle for hours now...let the poor thing die in privacy." Riza's quiet voice said next to him, snapping him from his melancholy thoughts. A small smile played on his lips as he raised his head to look at the woman chained next to him.

"Thank you, Lieutenant." He exhaled, shifting off his knees to sit cross-legged on the dirty floor, grime staining his blue uniform pants. "You always know how to pull me back in." He looked back down to the cockroach, which had finally quit moving. Silence descended over the brig once again, the waves crashing onto the side of the ship being the only sound for what felt like hours, no one being able to come up with the words to say.

"You know..." Edward said, the sound of his chains rattling against the wall as he attempted to make himself more comfortable tinkling through the brig. "You two speak alot of Al and me. He always knew when i was brooding on something without me saying so much as a word."

"What does that even mean?" Havoc asked, more than likely trying to avoid another long silence.

"They are so in sync with each other, they can tell what the other is thinking." Feury cut in. Roy looked down the line of his men chained to the wall, thankful for the semi normal conversation. Had he not lost feeling in his hands hours ago and could breathe without gagging from the stench he would have mistaken it for a normal day at the office.

"So, like telepathy or something?"

"Mainly observation." Falman explained.

"Yeah, she saw him staring at the roach on the ground for too long." Added Breda.

"So?" Havoc asked, exhaling. "We all noticed him watching the roach. That's not a special skill." Roy cleared his throat, somewhat amused with the conversation they were having despite the circumstances.

"Well, see there are many ways to communicate." He said. "She just knows my body language well enough to know what i'm thinking. Similar to how Al is able to get into Ed's head and know when hes brooding on something particularly unpleasant."

"I'd say this is alot more than just unpleasant." Hughes said, attempting to slide his glasses back up with his shoulder. "Who knows what we are in store for now?" The energy in the air became thick with worry as the gravity of their situation started sinking in once more.

"I agree." Roy said. "Are you hurt too bad?"

"This?" Hughes spat with venom on his tongue. "This is merely a flesh wound. I'm more furious at the fact that they pointed guns at Gracia and Elicia..."

0`0`0`0`0

Earlier that day...

"Daddy look! I finished the kitten puzzle!"Elicia giggled, pulling her beloved dad by his hand to show him her accomplishment.

"Well look at that, you did! How many pieces was this one sweetie?"

"one hundred and fifty pieces!" Hughes grabbed his camera and snapped a picture of his daughter with her puzzle.

"You make me proud every single day princess!" He gushed. Hughes could hear Gracia moving around the kitchen.

"Breakfast is almost ready, would you like to set the table for me?" She popped her head into the room, a bright smile on her face. Hughes scooped up Elicia, making his way to the dining room when he heard a commotion outside.

"Elicia sweetie," He urgently said, setting her down on the floor. "Go into the kitchen with mommy okay? Daddy will be right there." Elicia, too young and innocent to understand, simply skipped off to the kitchen to help her mother, completely unaware of what was about to happen. Hughes turned towards the door, but before he could even take a step the door crashed open, breaking off its hinges. Three uniformed soldiers stormed in, their guns raised and pointing straight at him.

"Maes Boris Hughes?" One barked, staring him straight in the eyes. Hughes narrowed his eyes, suspicious of the men standing in his living room. He was about to ask the man what the hell he was doing in his living room, when he heard footsteps behind him.

"Daddy who are they?" Elicia's giggled, "Are they some more of your friends? Are they friends with Uncle Roy?" Gracia appeared next to her daughter.

"Darling what's going..." Before she could finish her sentence, two of the soldiers pointed their guns at Gracia and Elicia.

"Don't move or we will shoot." One of the soldiers barked. Hughes felt his face grow hot as anger bubbled in his chest.

"I don't care why the hell you are here, but I swear to everything above that I will have all of you arrested for threatening the life of a child." He could hear Elicia's frightened cries behind him, and as bad as he wanted to run to her, he knew the soldiers meant business.

"Actually Mr. Hughes, that is why we are here." A sick smile spread across his face, reminding him of a serpent. "You are under arrest for the assassination of Fuhrer King Bradley, aiding and abetting a treasonous crime, and captial murder. Anything you say can and will be held against you in court." Huhes couldn't believe his ears. After six months without hearing a word on the death of wrath they were starting to think they were getting out of the felt the blood rumbling in his ears as he looked the front soldier in the eyes.

"I will come with you peacefully if you leave my wife and daughter out of this." He said, placing his hands in the air. He heard Elicia beginning to whimper and softly cry.

"You are wrong!" She yelled in her tot like voice, fat tears streaming down her cheeks. "Daddy helped save 'Mestris from the Monkey eye." The soldiers tauntingly laughed at him, pointing their guns away from Gracia and Elicia. The commanding officer nodded his head towards the other two men.

"Please escort Mrs. Hughes and the girl away while i finish up in here." The two soldiers gave a quick "yes sir" as they began ushering Gracia and Elicia into a different room.

"Now, place your hands behind your back, we will make this as painless as possible, for us anyway." The man sneered as he dug the handcuffs out of his pocket to fasten around Maes's wrists. In the blink of an eye Maes spun around, kicking his captor in the head, hard. The man fell to the ground, and Maes took his chance to escape after his wife and daughter.

He ran into the kitchen, freezing in his steps as he saw, once again, his wife and daughter backed into a corner with guns pointed on them. Before he had a chance to say a single word, he felt a sharp pain on the back of his head, and his vision went dark.

0`0`0`0`0`

"And then I woke up at the docks." He said, clenching his fist above his head. "I really had thought we were out of the woods..."

"This seriously can't really be happening, can it?" Havoc asked, although he knew the answer. There was a pause in their conversation, everyone taking a moment to think on their current situation. After a few tense moments, Ed broke the silence.

"I just realized...Al and Winry probably know I haven't shown up at the Resembol train station."

"How can you know for sure?" Riza asked. "We have no light, no clock, and minutes can feel like hours in a setting such as this."

"Easily. See that crack up there?" Ed said, pointing with his head.

"You can't seriously tell me you can see through that crack Edward." Roy exhaled. "It's tiny." Edward frowned vat the insult.

"No, you just have old man eyes." He snapped back. "Anyway, from where i'm sitting, you can see outside of the crack just enough to see the color of the sky. I know the sunset begins around seven PM, complete darkness by nine. It has been black for a while, meaning we left at noon, its been more than nine hours."

"That means three more hours..." Falman observed. Edward lowered his eyes, trying to hide the sadness threatening to spill over.

"Yeah...yeah it does." He replied in barley a whisper, his hair covering his eyes from view of the rest. Roy watched the teenager fall in on himself, his guilt flooding his heart and stomach like molten lead, hot, painful and heavy.

"Prepare yourselves men. No matter what, do not admit to killing King Bradley." Roy started, trying to sound alot more confident than he was feeling in that moment. "Only refer to him as Wrath, and always deny committing treason."

"Yes," Riza cut in. "Always answer 'I did not commit an act of treason.' Technically, because stopped Amestris from becoming a stone we wouldn't be lying."

"I know I've said this already, but no matter what, it doesn't matter how or who is being tortured to get a confession, deny, deny, deny."

"Remember, all we have to do is try to hang on long enough to survive until our trial." Hughes added, bowing his head. Roy looked to his sides at each of the faces of his team, a warm feeling spreading through his heart. He couldn't have asked for a more loyal and admirable team to complete his military career with. He warmly smiled.

"Remember, we will get through this together. I promise I won't rest until each and every one of you is pardoned and off to resume your lives...as well as you possibly could."

"And what of you sir? We don't leave if you don't." Riza said.

"Yeah," Edward breathed, "All for one and one for all!"

"We don't leave anyone behind." Hughes finished.

"We will get through this as a whole team, or may whatever god exists take every one of us together." Roy closed his eyes as silence once again fell over the prisoners for the last time.

Three more hours...


	4. Chapter 4

_Two days later..._

"This just doesn't seem right." Winry sighed, staring out the window at the blur of trees out the train window. It had been two days since Ed had left for central, and he was due back that night. Two days had passed without so much as a word from anyone as to where he might be. Before, Winry wouldn't have thought anything of it, but ever since the promised day and the retrieval of Al's body from beyond the gate, Ed was constantly checking in. For him to just disappear, it wasn't in his character anymore.

"Well, we will be at Central station within the hour, we can head straight for headquarters and see if anyone knew where he is." Al looked down at his hands in his lap, one thumb nervously stroking the other. Winry looked at the young man for a second in awe, still amazed at seeing her childhood friend in the flesh again. She sadly smiled, turning back to the window.

"Yeah, I know. I just have a feeling something really bad has happened."

"I do too Winry." He closed his eyes a moment, as if dozing off. "I keep telling myself he decided to spend a night on the ;'gut tells me otherwise." The smile on her face quickly faded, her brow creased in frustration.

"We will get to the bottom of it...don't worry."

0`0`0`0`0`0

They spent the remainder of the train ride silently staring at the window, every terrifying scenario crossing their minds. Winry was in such a daze, she didn't even realize they were walking up the steps to central headquarters until she felt Al grab her arm, stopping her in front of the towering double doors. She stared into his eyes, struggling to find the right words to say. As if Al could read her mind, he silently nodded his head to her, pushing open the doors and stepping inside the drafty building. They both stopped for a moment, looking around the large room in awe. Tall, white and blue walls reflected off the marble floor, everything looking pristine. Winry glanced over at Al, the sight of his almost childlike amazement bringing a softness to her heart.

"We should try to find someone who can tell us how to get to the colonels office." Al said, looking at each individual hallway.

"Al! Winry!" As if the gods answered a prayer, a woman's voice hollered in their direction. Al and Winry both spun around, smiles instantly lighting up the teens faces.

"Sheshka!" They both joyously said, waiting for the bespeckled young bookworm to catch up with them. The three of them continued down the hallway, the building seemingly brighter with a familiar face around.

"You guys headed to the Colonel's office?" She asked, her voice losing some of its cheeriness. Al and Winry exchanged a quick glance, worry flashing across their faces.

"Yeah...how did you know?" Winry asked as they turned down another hallway. Sheshka adjusted the files in her arms, sadly exhaling quietly.

"That's actually where I'm headed now, so you can just follow me." She started. "I figured you two would be showing up sooner or later, considering the circumstances."

"Wait," Al said, his stomach dropping. "What circumstances?" Sheshka sharply inhaled, approaching the door to Colonel Mustang's office. She placed her hand on the doorknob, turning her head to look at the two teens.

"You don't know?" She asked, a tremble in her voice as she opened the door.

"Who doesn't know what?" A strong female voice rang from across the room. Sheshka jumped, nearly dropping her files.

"Um...Alphonse Elric and Winry Rockbell General. I ran into them while coming back with the files you asked for." A blonde woman walked out of Roy's inner office, her stare sending chills down her spine.

"What do you mean you don't know?" She said, her frown getting deeper than Al even thought possible. "We were told you had been called a few days ago." Sheshka flinched, quickly approaching the General and handing the files over.

"I put in the request on monday for them to be contacted. The transcripts are in my office if you would like to see them." General Armstrong beckoned Winry and Al over to the inner office, the stack of files in hand. Winry took a deep breath, looking over to Al to see if he felt as intimidated as she did. However, much to her surprise Al simply smiled at her and casually walked into the office. She quickly turned and bid a silent goodbye to Sheshka before making her way into the office.

"Close the door." She said. "This is the only spot in this office i know for sure isn't bugged." She did as she was told, joining Al in front of the desk. General Armstrong tossed the files down on top of Mustang's desk, slowly exhaling as she picked the newspaper up. She handed the paper to Al, who took it in shaky hands and lifted it slowly. Winry peered over his shoulder, her stomach dropping as her eyes hit the page.

_BREAKING NEWS_

_On Monday, November 15 in the early hours of the afternoon, arrests were made in connection to the assassination of late Fuhrer King Bradley, at the request of Fuhrer Roman Hakuro. The supposed perpetrators were a group of military personnel who worked within Central Headquarters. Roy Mustang-Aka The Flame Alchemist, his subordinates Riza Hawkeye, Jean Havoc, Heymans Breda, Vato Falman, Kain Feury and Edward Elric-Aka The Fullmetal Alchemist-as well as intelligence officer Maes Hughes were taken into custody around noon by General Aleistor Rickert and are currently being held in an unspecified location for the duration of the pending investigation._

Winry felt pressure build in her throat as her eyes swam over the page, pausing for a moment on Ed's mugshot. While he held no actual expression on his face, she noticed a subtle, almost invisible emotion in his eyes. A deep, haunted sort of fear, easy to glace over, had she not known that look before.

"But Bradley was going to destroy Amestris!" Al yelled out, fighting to contain his anger. He slammed the paper down on Roy's desk, closing a tight fist around it. "Brother...the colonel...they should be hailed as heros!" General Armstrong put an uncharacteristically soft hand on Al's shoulder.

"They should, but they're not. And now, I have to leave Briggs with Miles and take over their defense because no lawyer wants to 'defend a bunch of traitors.'" She rolled her eyes, looking towards Winry, who stared blankly ahead.

"General..." She said quietly, trying to sound stronger than she felt. "What do they mean by unspecified location?" The general sat at the desk, looking at the files once again.

"Well, they could be in segregation in the jail under this building.' She started, glancing at the crumpled newspaper., causing Winry's eyes to follow. "However, judging from the exhausted, rumpled, slightly damp and dirty appearence my guess would be Chinui island." Winry glanced at Al, who looked almost as confused as her.

"What's Chinui island?" Her and Al asked in unison.

"It's a secret island prison in the middle of the Arctic ocean in northern Amestris. It is reserved for those accused of treason, or so they say." Winry scanned the general's face, the feeling she was leaving something out flooding her brain.

"Why don't they have a specific place like that right here?" She asked, looking down.

"Well, its inescapable, and, while I've never been there, all high ranking officers are trained in their techniques on the island..." She frowned, her aura oozing disgust. Winry held her breath, waiting for her to continue.

"When you are on the island you have two options. You can either confess to the crime you are accused of, face punishment, public ridicule and humiliation, execution, and the disgrace of your family name, or..." She trailed off, finally looking up at Winry and Al. The look in her eyes sent chills cascading down her spine, and she knew what the general was about to say was not going to be good.

"Look, I don't know how to say this." She finally said, exhaling deeply. Winry caught Al stepping forward out of the corner of her eye, finally breaking his chilling silence.

"Just say it general. We already know how severe this is, you don't have to dance around anything for our sake." Winry nodded her head in agreement.

"You can try to survive until your trial, which is highly unlikely. They don't take kindly to those who don't confess, as it makes traitors look like maryters instead of criminals, and they will use any form of torture necessary to get a confession."

The room went silent. All Winry could hear was the blood rushing in her ears, a sickness slowly creeping up her stomach as her mind repeated the generals words over and over. Her body felt cold yet numb at the same time. She wanted to vomit.

"How..." Al started, his shaking words breaking the silence. "How likely is it that they will make it to trial?" The general, without skipping a beat, spoke the words they were dreading to hear.

"No one has ever made it off the island without confessing...and if they do, their future holds nothing but the gallows."


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Im having trouble coming up for a word for my trigger warning.
> 
> so ummmm...prison protocol
> 
> TRIGGER WARNING: Dark elements in relation to prison protocol/sexual harrassment, mild violence.

Roy could almost taste the ominous fear hanging thick in the air as the prison ship entered the port to the island. His heart stuck in his throat as he glanced at every one of his subordinates, each nodding to one another, a silent boost of courage between comrades. He dreaded what was about to happen to them, even more so now that they knew Kimblee was not only alive, but working at the island as well. He knew first hand how sadistic this man could be, the methods his twisted mind could come up with. His biggest fears were for both Riza and Ed, as the younger Alphonse was the cause of his death, which would cause extra animosity towards Ed, and he was well aware of what the monster liked to do to women, and sometimes men, if he is feeling depraved enough, and none of it was anything he wanted Riza to go through.

They felt the boat dock as the movement slowly ceased. Roy inhaled deeply through his nose, slowly exhaling to prevent his voice from shaking as he spoke.

"Remember what I told you." He started in a semi hushed tone, Looking to Maes, Ed and Riza "Obviously having to work with both Rickert and Kimblee they will know some of our weaknesses. Ed, they will use your brother and Winry against you. Maes, Elycia and Gracia." He paused for a moment, exhaling again to steady his voice. "Riza, I don't think I need to say what might happen to you with Kimblee here..." He squeezed his eyes together tight.

"The rest of you haven't had to work closely with either of them, Though Vato met Kimblee in Briggs with Ed." Falman nodded.

"Luckily I only briefly worked with him, and we didn't speak other than formalities." Roy smiled, looking down at the ground.

"Good. Make sure they don't figure anything out."

"And don't admit to ANYTHING that could be used against you." Ed reminded everyone, speaking up for the first time in hours. "As far as we are concerned, we didn't kill King Bradley..." His voice trailed off,

"We killed Wrath." Riza finished for him, a sad, tender smile crossing her face. Roy sternly nodded his head, waiting to see if anyone had anything else to say before speaking once more.

"Also, as of now, we are prisoners. Rank means nothing while being tortured to confession." He paused, trying to think of the best thing to say. "From here on out, we are on a first name basis, only. No titles. The only way we will survive long enough to make it to trial is to feel as if we can rely on each other, on an equal basis."

"I know this place isn't your average prison," Heymans said, shifting his weight to the other side of his body, "But why do you say, 'survive long enough?' Surely it would be unethical to torture someone to death before trial." Kain and Jean voiced their agreement.

"Because we are technically past Amestrian borders, so normal ethics don't apply, unfortunately for you lot." A sinister voice said in the doorway. Kimblee walked into the brig, a serpentine smile spreading across his thin lips. "I do hope you were comfortable during our trip." Roy narrowed his eyes, hatred piercing through his irises at his former partner.

"Couldn't have been any better." He spat bitterly, attempting to bite his tongue. Kimblee laughed, approaching him and kneeling until their faces were level.

"If I were you, I'd kill the defiance. It won't bode very well for you Mustang." Kimblee's breath ghosted over Roy's lips, causing a chill to run down his spine.

"Save some for later Zolf, we need to get them off the ship and through the system." Rickert's voice echoed down the stairs. He entered the room, his arms full of more chains. Kimblee stood, stepping aside as Rickert approached Roy. He placed the chains on the floor, lifting a small metal ring in his hand. He roughly ripped Roy's leg out from under him, snapping the ring around his ankle. He repeated the same action with Ed.

"These are to make sure you can't use your alchemy. You won't be able to remove them, and they can not be damaged, so don't even bother trying." The sick satisfaction floating across his face made Roy want to vomit as he felt more chains being fastened around his wrists and ankles.

"I suppose in a better position we wouldn't need alchemy to gain the upper hand in a fight against you." He taunted. Rickert finished chaining Jean, moving on to Vato, making quick work chaining everyone together like dogs. Rickert stood before Roy once more, a final shackle resembling a collar with a chain attached to it in his hand. Kimblee approached Roy from behind and grasped a fist full of his hair, squeezing it tight to keep Roy's head stable. Rickert snapped the metal collar in place, the cool metal sending a chill down his spine. The team was lined up single file and with a jerk so hard it caused Roy to stumble and if the chains around his wrists and neck weren't fastened to the others he would have fallen face first to the ground.

They were led through the ship once more, ignoring the taunts that were once again thrown at them. Roy kept his eyes trained on the ground, focusing on keeping balance as he was lead on a leash like a dog going to be put down.

The rain had turned to snow, signaling they were in the far north, Roy shivered as the frigid air surrounded them. Finally lifting his eyes from the ground, he decided to look around. The island was covered in at least a foot of snow, completely undisturbed. Roy would have found it beautiful, had he not known the history of the building at its center. Roy let his eyes scan up the building in front of him and his blood ran cold, remembering his first experience with this prison.

The frozen team was led through the massive, rusting doors to the prison, where they will be waiting to get registered and placed in their cell, where they will also wait, to be tortured mercilessly in an attempt at gaining confession, despite the level of truth to that confession.

The team was stopped in a large room, the collar and connector chains removed, and motioned to line up. Rickert walked to the front of the room, a smug smile on his face. He looked straight into Roy's eyes, sending ice through his veins.

"When I call your name, you are to step forward to the bin labeled with your name, remove all of your clothing and place it in the bin. When you are finished, you are to stand with your feet shoulder width apart and your hands behind your head. Do you understand?" The prisoners said a firm, "yes sir" in unison, Roy dreading the humiliation of being groped and patted down while entirely naked in front of his team.

"Let's start with Roy Mustang" Roy swallowed hard, trying to ignore the sound of Kimblee snickering to the side of him. He closed his eyes, breathing deeply through his nose as his trembling hands reached the buttons on his royal blues and began to undo them. He made quick work of his jacket and button down shirt, shedding both and placing them in the bin. He then quickly untied his boots and undid his belt, sliding his pants down and placing those in the bin as well. He hesitated when reaching for his underwear, knowing that once he was standing naked in front of them all, he had little dignity left.

"Hurry it up Mustang, it's not like you were afraid to let it all out before." Kimblee laughed, narrowing his eyes at him. Roy took one last breath, sliding down his underwear as he slowly exhaled, finally placing the final clothing item in the bin. Placing his hands behind his head. He could hear Rickert calling out more names, but Roy couldn't concentrate with Kimblee patting down his body. He got uncomfortably close to Roy from behind, his lips brushing his ear.

"I can see why you were so infamous Mustang. Wonder what would happen if we were to cut it off?" He traveled to the front, running his palms down his abdominal muscles, in between his thighs, under his testicles. Roy felt bile creeping into his throat as he felt Kimblee's cold fingers touching his most intimate parts. The chill of fingers finally left his body and Roy almost let out a breath, but then kimblee was back, a glove on his hand.

"Alright Mustang, bend over and touch your toes." Roy must have had quite a face because Kimblee began to wickedly laugh.

"You know how this works Mustang. Remember Ishval? Your duty on this island." He yanked Roy's hair back at an awkward angle, straining his neck.

"The sooner you do it, the sooner we can get it over with and you can get dressed." Roy exhaled sharply, extending out his arms and lowering his midsection until his fingertips touched his feet. WIthout warning, he felt a cold, wet latexed finger uncomfortably enter inside his anus. Roy squeezed his eyes closed, the humiliation almost too much.

"Heh...guess you really haven't taken it in the ass...what a shame." Roy felt the fingers exit as he stood up quicikly, placing his hands back on top of his head.

"Oh come on!" An angry Edward's voice echoed down the line.

"Stay in your place Elric!" Rickert growled as he ripped at someones clothing.

"My place is to protect! Let the poor woman have some dignity and at least give her a curtain or something." RIckert stood away from Riza, storming over to Ed and punching him in the mouth so hard his head snapped back painfully.

"If you have one more outburst, I am going to rip your tongue out with my bare hands and make you eat your own ass. Understand? Edward weakly lowered his head, his voice muffled by swelling and blood.

"Y...yes S...Sir."


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TRIGGER WARNINGS
> 
> violence, mentions of sexual assault, threats of sexual assault, foreshadowing sexual assault

\------------------

After the humiliation of being strip and cavity searched, the group was led into another room that looked like a mass shower. Once they were all shoved in there and the doors closed, a jet stream of ice cold water cascaded over top of them. Roy cried out as the stinging droplets pierced his skin, causing a shiver to shake down his spine. He looked over to Riza, who, despite being the strongest woman he knew, looked so vulnerable it physically hurt his chest. She lifted her eyes to meet his, and through shivers and despair, she managed to send him a silent nod of reassurance, as she had done countless times before. He managed a small smile that didn't quite reach his eyes, acknowledging her encouragement,

The frigid water finally stopped flowing, much to the team's liking, and they were roughly led, still naked and dripping, into yet another dark room. Two more young men entered the room, both in military uniforms, as well as a young woman in a lab coat, more than likely the poor doctor being forced into treating them during their stay. Rickert entered after her, a clipboard in hand.

"Alright lets get this done quick, Mr. Kimblee, our traitors and myself have some business to attend to after this that we surely wouldn't want to be late for." He looked at his clipboard quickly. "Ladies first." He snickered as the two uniformed soldiers grabbed Riza roughly by the arms, securing them to the shackles hanging from the rafters. The doctor walked to the front of Riza, moved her head from side to side, checked her hair for lice or other vermin that could have been picked up on the ship. She took her pen, using it to brush Riza's hair aside to check her backside, and Roy felt fear quickly creeping into his throat when he noticed her not so subtle flinch.

"What happened here?" She asked in a surprisingly thick drachman accent. "It looks as if half your back is missing." The room fell silent, save for Riza's heavy breathing. Roy could feel her anxiety creeping into his own chest and without thinking, blurted out,

"She doesn't have to answer that." Out of the corner of his eye he could see Rickert approaching him, clipboard fully raised more than likely to strike him with it, and he closed his eyes, waiting for an impact that never actually came.

"No need for that General." The doctor said, continuing her examination. "He is not incorrect, and striking him with metal is just going to make more of a mess for me to clean up." She bent down, checking the bottoms of Riza's feet, taking a pin and scraping it down the sole. "Aside from being wet and naked in arctic conditions, any abnormal numbness or tingling?" Roy watched Riza visibly relax and shake her head.

"N...no ma'am." She simply shivered, lowering her head. The doctor clicked her tongue, looking at the guards.

"Ok you may take her and send me the next." The two guards removed the shackles, once again roughly dragging her to the other side of the room. Roy breathed a sigh of relief as he saw one of the guards hand Riza her prison greys.

"Jean Havoc can go next." Once again Roy watched his former subordinate be jerked over to the shackles. The doctor began looking him over, poking certain places, looking in certain spots.

"You're pulse is a little slow, and im noticing signs of poor circulation in your legs. Is this abnormal?" Jean shook his head, a small smile playing at his lips.

"I had an injury occur about a year and a half ago. I just regained close to full mobility in my legs." Roy closed his eyes, remembering the sight of Jean bleeding out on the ground after being skewered by Lust, a sight he wished he could wipe from his subconscious forever.

"I'm assuming that's where these scars came from?" She gently brushed her pointer finger over the four stab scars from those horrible fingers.

"That would be the spot, Doc." His voice lacked the flirtatious charm it normally held around a woman, leaving nothing but a lifeless husk.

"Keep a note of that General. I don't know how you would gain back mobility after having your spinal chord severed in that many places, but I can almost guarantee it won't last with too much trauma to that area." They unchained him and placed him with Riza.

Rickert called down the line, Maes Hughes, who was questioned about envy's bullet, which was still lodged near his heart. Kain Feury and his eye condition, the doctor didn't miss anything it appeared. Luckily, they were all vague just as they were told to be, giving a little shot of pride to his heart.

"Edward Elric." Rickert said with so much slime in his voice it made Roy shiver. With even less care given to him he was yanked over to the shackles. Roy glanced at the doctor, who looked at Edward in awe. She did her usual brush over, checking for numbness, extensive injuries and all other normal aspects, but let her fingers linger on his automail port on his shoulder.

"You seem very young to have so much of your body made of metal. Are you even twenty yet?" Ed scoffed, and Roy prayed to any god in existence that he didn't snap on her.

"Not yet." He said, surprisingly gentle. Roy exhaled the breath he was holding. "I just turned eighteen a bit ago." She clicked her tongue in a way Roy could almost interpret as disgust, and stuck her pin on the port. "Is that painful at all?"

"I feel it, but no. Not painful." She nodded her head. "He is finished, but with all due respect i do not feel this is a suitable environment for this young man, and think you should take that into consideration." Rickert laughed at her.

"Just finish the last one so we can get this show on the road." Roy felt his arms grasped tightly by the two soldiers, being taken to his place in the center of the room. The doctor took no time in checking his flesh over as she did with the others. He kept his eyes forward, trying to drown out everything around him.

"Now, I haven't had any luck with your team." The Drachman accent pierced through his thoughts. "However, I seem to notice a pattern with this wound in your side and the wound to miss Riza's back. Am I allowed to ask if they are connected." Roy felt his lips slide into a smile, thinking for a moment had the situation been different she would have made an excellent member of the military.

"You are allowed to ask, but I am allowed to refuse an answer." Was his only response. The doctor clicked her tongue in disappointment, moving around to examine his front. She palpated his ribs to check for breaks, as well as his collar bones. Her hand cupped his chin, pulling his head down to face her. She lifted her other hand, pointer finger extended.

"Just follow my finger with your eyes..." She stopped speaking mid sentence, her emerald green eyes locking on Roy's. He stared back at her, watching the cogs turn in her brain underneath a head of fire red hair.

"There's something odd about your eyes sir." She said quietly, so quietly Roy could swear she were intentionally trying to not be heard. He nodded his head, urging her to continue. "The irises are deep onyx, but there are milky grey spots scattered through out. Is it possible...you have been previously blind?"

By the gods she figured it out. Roy exhaled, unable to contain his disbelief. He began to laugh, not even trying to be quiet any longer.

"Whatever you are thinking, assume it to be true and quit asking." He hushed his voice down once again, looking deeply at the young doctor.

"The more you pry, the more things they have to interrogate us about. I'm sure you know what that means for us so, please, stop asking." She subtly nodded her head.

"Doctor Mena, the man's a lowlife traitor, not a statue of Adonis, do your job or we will find someone else who will, do you understand." Dr. Mena frowned, turning to Rickert.

"I apologize, Sir, but I was under the belief that I am to fully examine the criminals before we proceed and that is exactly what i was doing. We are finished here." Dr. Mena and Rickert stepped over to the side as Roy's wrists were released from the iron shackles. He was led over to the waiting area with the others and given his clothing. The material was one of the most depressing shades of grey Roy had ever laid eyes on, resembling the pants and shirt combo forced on you during long hospital stays. He pulled the pants on first, a sense of relief washing over him at finally being less exposed. As he pulled his shirt over his head, his ear caught the conversation Rickert was having with the doctor.

"...you need to be professional, Natalia. You were the highest recommended graduate in Amestris." He tilted his head towards the voices, diverting his eyes as to hide suspicion.

"I honestly thought I saw something in the man. I was trying to see if my eyes were playing tricks on me."

"And you weren't speaking to the worm?"

"Absolutely not sir. Don't be absurd."

"You sure are getting defensive of these traitorous criminals doctor, makes me think you might have conspired with them..." Roy couldn't listen to anymore, he spun towards the pair, fire in his eyes.

"Its bad enough to falsely accuse a group of people for selfish reasons, but now you are going to threaten your hired help? You are a vile, disgusting man Rickert." He spat, fighting against the grip of the two guards restraining him. Rickert stormed over, and before he could even brace himself, a massive, stone solid fist came flying from his left side, the impact with his skull knocking the senses out of him, his vision going black for a moment. When his vision cleared, he felt the meaty fist was closing around his throat, completely cutting off his air supply.

"You need to learn your place Mustang, I have about had it with your arrogance even as you lay here purple faced under my hand." He growled, releasing Roy's throat. He gasped, the air flooding his lungs burning painfully.

"You...will...never win...Rickert." Roy quietly said, a weak smile crossing his lips. Rickert frowned, sending another punch to Roy's head. He looked at the two guards, signaling them over.

"Change of plans. Private, take the rest of the prisoners to their cell for the night. Mustang here really needs to be taught a lesson." He laughed darkly, pushing his knee into Roy's chest. "Major, take mustang to the chamber, relay the message to Mr. Kimblee, he can take it from there." Roy finally felt the pressure lift from his chest, but his body didn't want to move. He looked over to his team, all of them sharing the same look of horror on their faces as they watched their former commanding officer limply be lifted off the floor and placed on his feet. He tightened his expression, sending a silent salute to his team, urging them to go on, he would see them soon. As he was being led out the room, he felt one last burst of confidence and yelled out "We are not guilty!" looking straight at Rickert and the Doctor. Rickert laughed to himself, turning around to leave the room. The doctor, Natalia, lingered for a moment. Before turning to leave the room, she locked eyes with Roy once again, and he wasn't sure if it was the disorientation or his imagination, but the young woman appeared to mouth back at him.

"I believe you."

\------------------------

Crack!

The whip sliced yet another piece of flesh from Roy's already marred back. He bit his lip as hard as he could to distract himself, but nothing could distract him from the burn of his skin being ripped away.

"You think he's had enough of this yet?" Kimblee asked, fake yawning. "I don't think this is going to teach him any sort of lesson." Roy let his head hang, closing his eyes and ignoring the smell of his blood pooling around him.

"I think you might be on to something Mr. Kimblee."

Crack!

The whip caught him by surprise, causing a small yell to escape his throat. His wrists, which were shackled above his head so high his toes could barley brush the stone floor, were beginning to grow numb and his shoulders were surely close to coming out of socket.

"I have an idea." He heard Kimblee's voice say behind him. He felt hands messing with the shackles, releasing his arms from above his head. The pain was almost unbearable, but Roy refused to fall, instead holding himself high in front of both men. They began to laugh.

"Hey Mustang. I want you to get on your knees in front of us and bow." Roy looked at the two men in disbelief, a laugh threatening to escape his throat.

"You don't actually think I am going to do that." Was his only response. The men began to laugh harder.

"You really think you are in a condition to refuse?" Rickert howled, looking at Kimblee with malice in his eyes.

"Lets just force him to kneel. I like a challenge." Kimblee looked at Roy with hungry eyes, licking his lip as he approached the battered man. "Come on Mustang, make this easy on yourself...get on your knees." He grasped Roy's forearm, pulling it behind his back to hold him into place. "I've always wanted to see you on your knees." He said in his ear, nibbling on the lobe. "See you on your knees in front of me, just like all of those ishvallan men and women we had to take care of last time we were here together. Do you remember Flame? The screams of men as i sodomized them in front of their families?" Roy could feel his heart beating out of his chest as bile threatened to spill out of his throat. He had to be bluffing, Roy kept telling himself, he wouldn't...

"What would your team think of you, their commanding officer, taking it in the ass for all to see? Would they still respect you? Would you still respect yourself?" Roy closed his eyes tight, trying to drown him out.

"I am willing to endure whatever it takes to protect my team and those i love." He swallowed hard, knowing his next words would seal his fate. "Do your worst. I will not bow." Without hesitation Roy felt a sharp jolt in his spine as Kimblee dug his knee into his lower back, forcing him to his knees. He knelt behind him, holding Roy into place on his knees, Rickert laughing down at him.

"Don't worry Mustang, we have plenty of time for me to do my worst." A large boot flew up into his chin, his head snapping back painfully. Before he had time to recover, another kick was delivered to his abdomen, driving him forward, opening him up for another kick to the face. He could feel fountains of blood pouring from his nose and mouth, and he felt as if he couldn't hold himself up any longer, letting his bodyweight lay on Kimblee, much to his disgust.

"See Mustang, all you had to do was kneel," A swift kick to his ribs. "and all of this could have been avoided." A punch to the face. "But now you have forced us to beat you to a bloody pulp, and you ended up kneeling anyway." Roy felt Kimblee tighten his grip around him, lifting him off the ground to stand face to face with Rickert. The taller man grasped a fistful of Roy's hair, his scalp burning as his head was yanked painfully backwards.

"Like i said, learn your place." he threw his head down, a smug smile plastered to his face.

"We can take him back to the cell ourselves, I think. Show the rest what happens when you oppose." Kimblee, still holding Roy's arms behind his back, began to lead him from the blood soaked room and down a dark hallway dimly lit with kerosene lamps. Roy felt weaker and weaker with every step, but he continued to to hold himself up the best he could, he couldn't appear weak in front of his team.

They approached a massive iron door with bars, which Roy assumed would be their cell. Rickert opened the door with a loud creak, walking inside ahead of Roy and Kimblee.

"Where's Roy? What did you do with him?" He heard Maes ask, urgency in his voice. He could hear the others voicing their agreement as Kimblee shoved him forward into the cell.

"Stop your bitching, your precious Roy boy is right here." Kimblee shoved Roy forward, and as hard as he fought to keep his balance, to stand up straight in front of his former subordinates and friends, his legs gave out beneath him and he fell to the stone floor. Roy so desperately wanted to get up, to be strong and show hope, but just as soon as he found the strength to begin to push himself up, a foot on his back shoved him back down to the floor.

"No one told you to get up yet Mustang." Rickert said, walking in front of him.

"This is ridiculous!" Jean yelled, his anger boiling over.

"Exactly, this has nothing to do with getting a confession." Heymans added, joining Jean. Roy saw Falman and Feury stand and join the other two.

"We won't stand by while you humiliate one of us." Maes joined the others.

"And you of all people know damn well that what we did was NOT treason!" Ed yelled, extending a hand to Riza and pulling her with him.

"We are all one." Riza finished, staring into Rickert with flames in her eyes. Roy lifted his head at his team, a grateful smile spreading across his lips. Rickert frowned, his fury sharper than glass.

"I suppose he hasn't learned his place, Mr. Kimblee. Hold him still." Roy was yanked off the floor back into a kneeling position, to face his team. Rickert knelt down in front of him, pinching Roy's chin painfully between his thumb and first finger.

"You want to know what your place is mustang?" Roy could do nothing but watch as Rickert stood, and began unzipping his pants. Roy felt vomit working its way up his throat as he squeezed his eyes tight, knowing what was going to happen. For a few, horrifying seconds, nothing happened. But then Roy felt a warm liquid begin to pour onto his head, and he realized he was sorely mistaken.

"Rickert you are a sick bastard you know that?" Kimblee and Rickert howled with laughter as the general emptied his bladder on top of Roy's head. He kept his eyes squeezed tight, the absolute humiliation of being urinated on in front of his team while completely helpless to stop it was almost unbearable, He felt the last few drops land on his piss soaked head and heard Rickert zip up his trousers once more. Kimblee released his arms from behind him, and with a firm push with his foot, shoved Roy completely into the room, walking out behind Rickert. Before closing the door, Kimblee turned, staring deep into Roy's obsidian eyes.

"Don't worry Mustang. We will have our fun. Just remember the Ishvalans we guarded while we were stationed here." The iron door slammed shut, Kimblees sickening laugh echoing through the room. Roy finally forced himself to stand., walking slowly to the sink in the corner.

"Sir..." Riza said, putting her hand out to place on his shoulder. He flinched away, turning on the tap.

"Don't Riza. Remember what I said, no titles." He cupped cold water into his hands splashing his face trying to was away the urine. He tried to focus only on that, his shame engulfing him.

"Roy, we are sorry..." Kain said, shifting his glasses on his nose. Roy shook his head,placing his head back under the water.

"Do not apologize Kain. I would be pissed on a thousand times over, if it meant keeping every one of you safe, and I don't want to hear a single shred of guilt about it. Understood?" Kain opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off by a familiar snarky teenager.

"Except rank doesn't matter anymore so we don't have to listen to you." He sadly smiled at Roy, and despite himself, Roy smiled back.

"We can get through this. And I think we also have an ally on the island." The group looked at him in disbelief.

"Who Roy?" Riza asked, placing her hand on his as she helped him sit on his cot. "Are you positive? Did they tell you outright?" Roy winced as his back scraped against the stone wall, taking a deep breath to ease the pain.

"You can't quote me on this, but I think..." They were cut off by the sound of footsteps approaching the door. Not a single breath was taken while the key jingled in the lock and the door was pushed open.

"You can relax. It's just us." The person said in the doorway. Doctor Mena entered the room, medical supplies in hand. "I'm just here to take care of Roy." She clicked her tongue in disgust as she saw his wounds. "Such brutality on an innocent human being." She said, getting straight to work cleaning the various slashes to his back.

"Did you just say innocent man?" Feury asked quietly, as if trying to hide his voice. Roy couldn't see her face, but he could almost feel the doctor smiling behind him.

"Yes, I did. My name Is Doctor Natalia Mena, and I was there on the promised day."


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> x
> 
> I use some Russian (Courtesy of google translate so hopefully its correct) To substitute as Drachman.
> 
> Key:
> 
> Chertovski Svin'ya - Fucking pig
> 
> Ublyudok - Mother fucker
> 
> (Yes, our doctor has a sharp tongue)
> 
> No trigger warnings for this chapter

* * *

The room sat in stunned silence. Roy couldn't Believe what he was hearing. This young doctor, who he'd just gotten awkwardly acquainted with, knew about them the entire time, and the crime they were not guilty of, and yet was here bandaging torture wounds. He didn't know weather to be overjoyed or furious.

"What!?" Ed yelled, breaking the silence and startling every person in the room. "You are telling us you knew everything the entire time, yet are STILL on their side?"

Well, guess Roy knew how to feel now.

"Not quite." She said, surprisingly calm after Ed's outburst. "I don't have much time, but let me explain a little bit." She dabbed a few of the deeper slashes in his back with antiseptic, making him wince.

"I had come in a few weeks before the promised day, recruited by Bradley for my internship. I was given very little information on what i would be working on, but some of it was hellish." He felt her shudder behind him. "I had a feeling something wasn't right, so I worked to gain his trust. A few days before the final day, he approached me and asked me to be present in case the strange doctor he had me working under failed, so I said yes." She paused to grab another cotton ball.

"But if you were there...then you should know some of our faces...you should know what he was and what he was planning to do..." Riza said, squeezing Roy's hand tenderly.

"I actually didn't get to see much. I was in back waiting and attending to Bradley's wounded soldiers. I did, however, see Bradley's creepy little monster boy get ahold of someone with his tentacles, then a flash so bright it could have burned my eyes out of my skull. I heard the most horrible scream come from that person it's haunted my dreams since." Roy's heart was beating out of his chest. She was correct. She really was there.

"What happened after the light?" Roy asked, genuinely curious. Natalia clicked her tongue.

"Well, I couldn't tell you that. Midway through the blinding light something struck me in the head. The next thing I knew i was waking up with the hospital with a fracture in my skull, the Fuhrer was dead, and it was undetermined weather a 'Team Mustang' was responsible. That was the first time I had ever even heard mention of you."

"So, what does that have to do with you being here though?" Jean questioned, his face showing the first sign of emotion since arriving on the island.

"Well, after Bradley's death, Hakuro kept me on as his personal Doctor. When I heard you were to be charged and brought here, I volunteered to work without payment on the island, as I knew they were just going to pick some random doctor. Seeing as they believe I fully support their cause, he agreed without hesitation." She leaned closer to Roy, fingers palpating a particularly deep wound to his mid back. "I'm going to have to stitch this, unfortunately anesthetic was not part of my supply list." She said apologetically. Roy just softly laughed.

"I've had much worse Doctor." Roy felt the needle prick through his skin, causing him to wince.

"But how does that help?" Breda asked, his usual gruffness distantly in his voice.

"Well, lets just say I'm working with a certain general who instructed me to gather as much evidence here for her as possible, documentation of your injuries, how said injuries occurred, some audio recordings of your interrogation. We think if the council sees just how foul Rickert and Hakuro are, on top of the evidence against Bradley, we can get you off quite easily." The sound of footsteps caused the room to grow silent, save for Roy's staggered breathing as Natalia quickly stitched up his back. A key was heard in the lock, and the door slowly creaked open. Roy could feel the anxiety in the room grow as the door slowly opened, choking off his air supply.

"Dr. Mena." The private from earlier stepped into the cell, causing a unanimous breath to be exhaled. "Are you close to finishing up here? The General would like to speak with you." Roy heard Natalia exhale sharply, her annoyance strangely satisfying to him.

"_Chertovski Svin'ya _that man needs to learn patients! Does he want his traitors to die martyrs before being proven guilty in court?" She spoke as she continued to stitch, her precision admirable. "Tell the _ublyudok _I have a few more stitches to put in and I will be up, so long as he doesn't send me anymore interruptions." The private was stunned silent at the Drachman tongue lashing for a moment, before slowly closing the door.

"Sure thing doc...I'll let him know." He said in a shaky voice as he hastily put distance between himself and the fiery redheaded doctor.

"You will never get anywhere being a pushover." She said, finishing her last stitch and cutting the suture. Standing up, she quickly examined her work. Turning to leave the room, she looked back at the group with a sad smile.

"Of course...being headstrong sometimes lands you here. I'll be back soon, don't worry." And with that they were alone, in the company of one another. Nobody had the energy to speak, so they communicated with their eyes until one by one they drifted into a troubled sleep.

* * *

_Two weeks later..._

"I feel like we haven't gotten anywhere Winry." Al sighed in frustration. "We haven't even been able to speak with him and the general has her hands completely full so who knows when she will be able to contact them and tell them we are all working on their defense. I bet they are worried absolutely sick, busted up and bleeding on a dirty cell floor after who knows what kind of torture..."

"Al..." Winry said, pinching the bridge of her nose. "I am worried too, but the last thing i want to think about is Ed, Or Mr. Hughes or any of them being tortured. Try to focus on your task so we can get them home. Plus, Gracia needs some help at headquarters with more papers so we have to leave early today." Al sat down the file he was scanning, putting his head in his hands. This was probably the first time in his entire life he dreaded a library.

"I agree with Miss. Rockbell." A stern voice said behind him, causing him to jump. "It may not seem like it, but we are building quite a case against the state." General Armstrong placed a moderate sized stack of files on the table between the two. "As for getting into contact, I will be taking a boat out there in two days to get statements from Mustang and his team." Al exhaled a sigh of relief, thankful for the general and her drive to prove their innocence.

"Thank you General. Its just hard to focus sometimes. Ed...hell all of them have been through way more than anyone should be. It disgusts me how absolutely wrong this entire thing is."

"It disgusts me that it took two weeks to hear about any of this!" Another female voice that Al automatically recognized echoed through the library. Al and Winry both looked up to see Izumi Curtis storming towards them. "Why the hell didn't you contact me as soon as this happened Alphonse?" Al winced, anticipating a firm slap to the back of his head, but instead he saw his teacher do something he thought he would never witness.

He watched in awe as his anti military mentor and surrogate mother, saluted General Armstrong.

"It's very nice to see you again General. I would like to personally thank you for taking on this case. Edward and Alphonse are like the sons I always wanted, your help puts me forever in your debt." Al couldn't believe his ears. Was this actually happening? When did General Armstrong and teacher develop a form of friendship? Al's head began to hurt.

"We did. We called multiple times and the lines wouldn't go through. We sent letters, telegrams...you didn't get any of them?" Winry asked. Izumi shook her head.

"Not a single one. No matter, I am here to offer my services to get our team out of there." A smile spread over the generals lips, the cogs turning even faster inside her head.

"You were at ground zero, when father was actually destroyed, correct Mrs. Curtis?" General Armstrong asked. Izumi nodded.

"That is correct, and the things I saw are things I couldn't forget no matter how hard I try." The General's smile widened, the familiar Armstrong twinkle making a rare appearance in her eyes.

"Excellent. We actually have developed a headquarters of sorts in a large abandoned boarding house on the outskirts of central, you are more than welcome to take up residents in one of the rooms. We can never have enough help on a case like this." She extended her hand to Izumi, who took it in a firm agreement.

"What a touching sentiment, too bad it's all going to be for nothing." A harsh, gruff males voice spoke behind them. Al turned to look at the source of the voice and he would be lying if he said he wasn't intimidated. Walking towards them was a massive, muscular older man with salt and pepper hair and a busy, yet well kept, mustache. The way he looked at Al made his stomach turn, and he didn't like where this was going.

"What the hell are you doing here Rickert?" General Armstrong spat, a scowl plastered to her face. "Aren't you supposed to be doing Hakuro's cover up work?" Rickert laughed, sarcastically saluting the headstrong general.

"Actually, that's why I'm here. Picking up some files on some traitors we are going to hang soon."

"Yeah good luck with that." Winry jumped up from the table, standing as tall as she could in front of the giant. "Everyone knows they are innocent. Everyone knows what so called King Bradley really was, and what his motives were. The only ones I see hanging in the future are you and that snake Hakuro!" She looked fearless, Al thought to himself, as he watched his childhood friend stand up to a military general triple the size of her. The hulking man just laughed again, grabbing her wrist and pulling her up by her arm.

"You sure are a feisty bitch aren't you?" He looked her up and down as she struggled in his strong grasp. Al saw his eyes stop on the wrist he was grasping, and Al's heart shriveled up when he realized what exactly the man was looking at.

"Is this an engagement ring i see on your pretty little finger Miss..." He paused, as if asking her to tell him her name.

"Unhand her this instant Rickert, she is a civilian and you are under direct violation of code 6234 which states using excessive force on unarmed, harmless civilians is strictly prohibited." General Armstrong yelled, stepping closer to pry Winry from his grasp. Rickert squeezed tighter, eliciting a gasp of pain from Winry's lips.

"Tell me, whose the lucky guy? Are you protecting these common traitors so passionately because your hand belongs to one of them?" He took his other hand, slipping the ring off her finger and releasing her wrist. "I think I'll take this as evidence little lady." Al couldn't take it any longer, he ran over to Winry, placing an brotherly arm around the shaking woman.

"You can't do that! Its just a ring that you can't prove has any significance to any of this! How do you know the ring isn't from me? How do you know she's not marrying me, another civilian?" Rickert snorted, placing the ring in a small bag.

"Actually, I can do this because I have a warrant allowing me to collect anything I see as evidence, and this is the second engagement ring I'll get to learn about, and love is such a fragile thing. You target the heart, you knock down the castle." Al could feel his blood boiling beneath his skin.

"I already told you, the ring is from me. She is going to be my wife." Rickert walked around the table, looking at the files splayed out on the desk.

"No, its not. And I know this because you are not yet old enough to marry, Alphonse Elric." Al felt ice slide through his veins. How did this man know his face when he hadn't been in central since he gained it back in the first place?

"How do you know his identity?" Izumi demanded, Standing with General Armstrong between Al, Winry and Rickert.

"Look at him. Grow your hair out and become a cripple and you could be twins."

"Edward Elric could wipe the floor with you in a fair fight, you would be considered crippled to him!" General Armstrong defended, much to Al's semi surprise.

"Right, the pipsqueak could use me as a mop, much like how my partner has used him as a common plaything." Al wasn't sure of the implications behind the statement, but nevertheless bile rose into his throat at all the possibilities running through his head.

Rickert fake yawned, turning to walk away as if bored, before one last laugh shook through his body.

"You know Armstrong, once Mustangs team is buried six feet under, we have another round of traitors to arrest, and we have been given the green light to pursue those arrests including civilians and extraditions." His smile grew wicked, sending chills down Al's spine. "Yours is at the top of the list, but hopefully the names Alphonse Elric, Izumi Curtis, Winry Rockbell, Ling Yao and Mei Chang aren't too familiar to you." With that final threat looming in the air, he turned and walked away, leaving the group in a stunned, terrified silence.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> little bit shorter than the last few chapters so i apologize in advance (filler chapters...am i right?)

"Someone's here to talk to you, Mustang. Make it quick." One of the guards, another major, snapped, shackling Roy's wrists and ankles before shoving him out the door to the cell. Roy felt his heart jump in his throat, knowing it would be their lawyer, or whoever was taking on their case. They walked quietly down the decrepit hallway, Roy weakly trying to keep his balance, struggling due to a combination of of the shackles on his ankles, and general weakness due to blood loss and malnutrition. Roy wasn't sure how long they had been there, no one bothered to tell them the time and there were no windows in the building to see outside, but he did know his injuries, while not fatal, were severely debilitating and physically wearing him down by the second.

They came up to a door to a room Roy had yet to see, this one looking cleaner than the others. Roy stepped into a dimly lit room with nothing but a table in it. He was led over to it and shoved down into the chair, causing a hiss of pain to escape past Roy's lips. The major placed his hand down on the table, bending to look at Roy.

"You have ten minutes, so hurry it up, you have an appointment with the General and Mr. Kimblee." He snickered, leaving the room. Roy slowly lifted his head, waiting for his meeting to begin. He laughed to himself; he was almost able to zone out and pretend he was waiting for a meeting at the office. He hated them before, but right now, in this very moment, Roy felt the most at peace he had felt since their arrests however long ago, and he was so lost in the thoughtful bliss he didn't notice the person sit down across from him at the table.

"You look like shit, Mustang." Roy snapped out of his haze, a smile playing on his chapped lips.

"I imagine i do. No mirrors here." He looked up into the fierce eyes of General Armstrong, trying to ignore the almost unnoticeable fear and revulsion he could see hidden behind her eyes. He placed his shackled and bandaged hands on the table. "What's going on? Is Al safe? What about Winry and Gracia and Elicia..."

"Mustang!" General Armstrong sternly said. "Slow down, let me speak." Roy took a deep breath trying to relax and sat back in his chair.

"First, I'm here to tell you that I have personally taken over your defense. We have an entire team of volunteers helping and we are staying in the converted boarding house on the eastern border of central, to keep certain members safe." Roy folded his hands, wincing when his fingers brushed together. General Armstrong snapped her eyes down, frowning at what she saw.

"What did they do to you?" She asked, her voice softer than usual. Roy looked at the bandaged fingers, the flashback playing in his head.

_"One nail for every team member who doesn't answer my question. Understood?" Roy was strapped tightly in a faulty electric chair, his already bleeding hands strapped down tight. His breathing grew heavier and heavier as Rickert grabbed the pair of pliers and clamped them to Roy's nail._

_"Riza Hawkeye," Kimblee started, "How did you get that burn on your back? You have one chance to answer." Roy made eye contact with her, narrowing his eyes and subtly shaking his head. "We are waiting. are you going to answer the question, or painfully sacrifice one of Mustangs fingernails." She stood her ground, despite the tears Roy noticed in her eyes, and she said,_

_"I...will not...answer that...question..." Kimblee wickedly smiled, looking over to Rickert and Roy, his heart about to burst._

_"You heard the lady." Without warning the tip of Roy's pointer finger began to burn in the worst possible way as Rickert slowly pulled on his fingernail, tearing it out from the root. Roy couldn't take it anymore, a pained yell burst past his lips as the half detatched nail was yanked back and forth, every movement causing spots to dace in front of him and I'f he hadn't been strapped in he would have grabbed the pliers the yanked the nail out himself, to save him the agony._

Roy laughed, "I got an island manicure." General Armstrong sharply exhaled, annoyed.

"Now is not the time for jokes. Let me unwrap your hands so i can get pictures of them." He lifted his hands, placing them in hers. She slowly began unraveling the bandages, the bruised skin a garish purple.

The door creaked open, startling both of them. A visual assault of red hair poked through the door, files in her arms.

"I am sorry to intrude, but everybody is down preparing..." she paused, disgust like venom on her tongue, "that room. Now was the best time for me to get down here quick." She approached the table just as Armstrong unwrapped the last strip of bandages, finally exposing the mangled mess that was his hands. The skin was purple and swollen, some of the joints were bent at odd angles, and looked to have been pierced by something. But the worst was his nail-less fingers. The skin looked raw and red, specks of dried blood and slivers of fingernail sticking out through the sensitive flesh.

"That..." General Armstrong started, and if Roy didn't know better, he would say she looked uncharacteristically squeamish, "Looks like a personal vendetta, not an interrogation technique." Roy laughed, looking away from his once strong hands.

"You and I both know my team and I aren't here for interrogation." He said bitterly, listening to the shutter click on the camera.

"Speaking of interrogation," Dr. Mena cut in, placing the large bundle of files in front of the general. "this specific incident and everything leading to it has been captured on audio, which I've placed inside a compartment in the bottom of one of the files." She lifted one of the folders, swiping across the bottom with her thumb until the paper wore back enough to peel to the side, showing the tape secured inside. She moved her thumb across it one more time, and the folder looked as if it had never been disturbed.

"Thank you ma'am." Roy said, hissing in pain as Armstrong began to rebandage his hands. "Whatever it takes, i just want my team out of here and safe."

"And what about you Mustang? Don't you want to survive this so you can continue your attempt at becoming Fuhrer and fixing this god forsaken country?" Armstrong asked, raising an eyebrow. Roy stared into her blue eyes, piercing through her with obsidian intensity.

"I don't care if i end up hung drawn and quartered, I don't care if I ever get anywhere near the position again." He placed her thin hands between his. "Just get my team out of here. Fuck my fate, but not a single one of them belongs sitting in this prison."

"Time's up." A sharp voice said through the door, causing Roy to snap his eyes up much too quickly, his vision dancing for a moment. General Armstrong stood, peering at Roy with a softness in her eyes that made his heart ache. She followed the major out the door, but before completely stepping through, she turned around one last time and looked at Roy.

"You know Mustang," She started, "I always thought you were just some arrogant twit with a head full of stones." Roy snorted to himself. Of course she would leave on an insult, such is tradition, he thought. She turned back around and walked out, her final, shocking sentence filling Roy with a burst of gratitude for the General with a heart of ice.

"I, however, am a woman who can admit when she is wrong."


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TRIGGER WARNING  
Torture, violence

"Boy Ed, you sure picked a bad time to turn in your resignation letter, didn't you?" Heyman's said randomly. Ed slowly turned his head to face his comrade, taking care to not move his eyes too quickly for fear of the pounding headache and gut wrenching nausea that accompanied such actions. His entire body ached and burned and throbbed, the worst being around the automail port in his shoulder. The skin was swollen and raw from repeated abuse at the hands of their jailers, and he moved it as little as physically possible.

"You know, that's the funny thing." He said quietly, his throat raw and his voice hoarse from screaming. "I wasn't turning in my letter of resignation."

"You weren't?" Kain asked, his swollen and bruised eyes widening. Ed couldn't help it, a morose smile spread across his lips.

"No...actually I was coming in to renew my contract." The entire cell took one collective deep breath, everybody but Jean surprised by the news.

"You were renewing your contract? Why the change of heart?" Maes looked at Ed with a softness in his eyes that reminded him of his mother.

"Yeah, I thought it was all over for you once you got Al's body back." Riza pulled herself up into a sitting position, looking at Ed curiously. He shrugged, looking back at the ground and hugging his knees to his chest.

"Yeah, that was originally the plan, but the longer I thought about it, and the quicker Al recovered, I realized that my work isn't done. There is a goal that hasn't been met." He rested his chin on his knees, closing his eyes in an attempt at fighting the urge to vomit. "We may have destroyed father and the rest of those bastards...but that doesn't mean the battle is over."

"You aren't wrong there. I just hope this isn't where the battle ends for us." Jean exhaled, messing with some of the gauze wrapped around his shattered wrist.

A scream echoed through hallway and into the cell, filling the entire room with dread. Roy had never been returned to their stone hell after his visit with whoever it was, so Ed figured it was safe to assume he was the source of the screaming. It was a sound they were all growing used to...the distant pain filled screams of one another. Most days were the same, either all, a select few, or one of them was removed from the cell and their screams followed soon after.

"It can't be...we have come too far for it to end this way." Ed stood up, a task that took almost maximum effort to accomplish, and began to pace back and forth. "Doctor said shes been recording some of our sessions with those two...surely they are bound to slip up and admit we are telling the truth."

"And when that happens," Maes cut in, looking up at Ed from where he was sitting. "We turn the tables and get the hell out of here." Quiet murmurs of agreement bounced of the stone walls of their cell, filling Ed with a new, warm sense of hope.

A key jingled in the lock on the door, the prisoners bracing themselves for the worst. Ed prayed it was the doctor, he even prayed that it was just Roy being returned in his usual battered state. He held his breath as the door creaked open.

"Hawkeye, Hughes, Elric." A stern, yet cautious looking man commanded, surely one of the new guards that had been shipped out. "Your presence is required in the interrogation room. Place your hands on your head and wait for further instruction." Ed looked over to Riza and Maes, their weary, exhausted eyes looking back at him. He sharply exhaled, placing his hands to his head. Two more guards entered the room, the three of them making quick work of handcuffing the three prisoners and herding them out of the cell like cows to slaughter. They walked in complete silence down the dark stone hallway, every step feeling closer to death. Ed could feel his heart pumping in his chest as the door to the interrogation room slid open on weary hinges, every beat sending pain to his shoulder.

"Ah yes, welcome." Rickert sarcastically said, motioning for the guards to bring them in and strap them down. Ed was forcefully shoved into one of the wooden restraint chairs they had lined up. Emotionally, he had grown numb to the entire process, limply letting them strap his arms and legs down. Ed lifted his head and looked around, Riza restrained to his left, Maes to his right. Roy was in a chair across from the three, his head bowed and dripping blood, leading Ed to suspect they were about to play some mind games.

"Now, here's what's going to happen." Kimblee crooned, stepping behind Roy and gripping his chin with his thumb and first finger, pressing their cheeks together in a way that made Ed's stomach turn. "We are going to ask you some questions, and if you don't answer, your friends here pay for it. Understood Mustang?" Ed made eye contact with Roy, who, as much as Ed hated to admit it, looked completely exhausted and broken.

"Go to hell..." Roy said quietly, his raspy voice shaking. Rickert and Kimblee laughed, ignoring Roy and walking straight over to Ed.

"Now, lets get down to business shall we?" He took a large metal skewer out of his pocket, a tool Ed had become very familiar with. "The burn on your bitches back, where did it come from?" Ed watched Roy without a blink, the urge to talk so apparent on Roy's lips that if it had been anyone else, he would have been worried about their vow to secrecy. Roy looked away from Ed, the shame on his face painfully unbearable.

"A fire." He said quietly. Rickert looked over to Kimblee, forcing Roy's head up to stare directly at Ed. He nodded, and before Ed could even take a small breath, white hot pain seared through his entire arm and shoulder as Kimblee shoved the skewer into his automail port. A scream tore through his throat, as the skewer was roughly forced in and out, hitting every nerve ending. He couldn't think, the pain consuming his entire body like a hellish cocoon.

Kimblee pulled the skewer out, blood dripping from the tip from tearing the skin around his port. Ed gasped for breath, doing anything he could to try to dull the pain. He felt a hand softly cup his chin, and he slowly opened his eyes to stare back at Kimblee.

"It's really a sad thing, fullmetal." He smoothly said, a snakelike smile spreading over his face. "Such loyalty to a man so willing to let you suffer."

"What the hell would you know about loyalty?" Ed spat back. "You would slit your own mothers throat if it meant you would advance somehow." Kimblee laughed, tracing his thumb across his bottom lip.

"So much spirit still, it's almost a breath of fresh air." Ed felt his heartbeat quicken as Kimblee leaned his face in closer, their lips almost touching.

"Get your hands off of him Kimblee!" Roy yelled with all the power he could muster. Kimblee quickly turned his head to look at Roy, leaving his hand on Ed's mouth. He took the moment distraction to bite into Kimblee's finger as hard as he could, copper filling his mouth as he broke the skin. Kimblee yelled out in pain, yanking his finger away from his mouth and delivering a forceful punch to the head, causing him to see stars. A massive hand wrapped its fingers around his hair, snapping his head back at an almost impossible angle.

"I have had it with your mouth Fullmetal." Kimblee hissed, looking over to Rickert with fire in his eyes. "I think, maybe if your mouth feels a little pain you will think twice about using it when you are not being ordered to." Without a word Rickert walked over, handing Kimblee a pair of pliers and taking Ed's hair from him, gripping it so tight Ed thought it would rip from the root. When a large thumb tried to enter his mouth, his brain kicked back into gear and he snapped his lips shut tight, denying entrance.

"Little fucker has his lips shut tight." He grumbled, roughly trying to pry his mouth open. Kimblee narrowed his eyes, reaching his hand out and pinching Ed's nose closed, completely cutting off his air supply. Ed struggled to shake the fingers off his nose, but his head began to swim and he couldn't fight anymore. His mouth, almost on its own, opened for air, allowing Rickert's thumb to enter his mouth and pry his bottom jaw open. Kimblee stuck the pliers into his mouth, gripping his second to last bottom right molar. Ed began to hyperventilate, his panic swimming through his body like a virus.

"When an animal bites..." Kimblee started, slowly beginning to pull on the tooth. "You punish them..." He pulled harder, Pain beginning to throb through his jaw as he struggled to get his hair away from Rickert's grasp. Without a warning, he quickly wrenched the tooth, ripping half of it out of his place. Spots swayed in front of his eyes, blood beginning to pour from the socket.

"You remove their teeth, and then they can't bite anymore...can they?" He wrenched his hand one more time, the tooth ripping out from the socket followed by a pain Ed had never experienced before. Without a moment of hesitation the pliers were on the same tooth on the opposite side, wrenching the bone from his mouth. Tears began to stream down his cheeks as a third tooth, this one the last tooth on the top right, was viciously extracted from his mouth.

"You made your point! He's not an animal!" Maes hollered, panic apparent in his voice. Kimblee grasped another tooth, last on the top left, and stopped for a moment.

"Do you really think it matters to me if he is a human being or not?" He asked bitterly. "It didn't matter to any of you that I was a human. You still helped contribute to my death. Didn't you?" The room grew silent, the horrible truth of his words sinking in. Were they really no better? Ed didn't have a chance to think, the tearing pain returning tenfold as the fourth tooth was removed. Kimblee removed the pliers from his mouth, Rickert's thumb following. The pressure released from his scalp, his head finally being released from his grasp. Ed let his head fall forward, fountains of blood pouring down the front of his shirt.

"Now, are you going to act like an animal again?" Kimblee condescendingly asked, mocking him. Ed raised his head, looking up at the walking corpse.

"No."

"No, what?"

"No..." Ed paused, spitting blood onto the floor in front of him. "sir." Rickert smiled darkly, looking at his watch.

"Well, unfortunately that took up our time slot for today." He crossed the room, grabbing the shackles hanging from the wall. "However, next time, Hughes is going to receive punishment for his little outburst." He unstrapped Ed's wrists, cuffing them together. "you really need to learn your places. Maybe we have been too soft." He beckoned the guards back into the room, who looked nervous and pale.

"Take them back and send Dr. Mena to their cell. Mustang and Elric are going to need some extensive care tonight." They were led back down the hallway, Ed keeping his eyes on the ground. He stuck his tongue into one of the empty sockets in his mouth, wincing in pain as the taste of blood assaulted his tongue. His head was swimming, every thought making his stomach sick.

_He wasn't wrong._

_He was human._

_He may have been evil._

_But he was human._

_And we killed him..._

_Just like you would kill an animal._

_But he was evil._

_We killed him._

_He was human..._

_WE KILLED HIM!_


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TRIGGER WARNING:  
Eye trauma
> 
> Russian translation: Horse shit

_One month later_

"Winry, I need to talk to you in private." General Armstrong said, motioning to a room off the dining room. Winry stood, exchanging a worried look with Al and Izumi, who were combing through documents at the table. She followed her into the study, closing the door behind her. She took a seat in one of the chairs, only then noticing the woman sitting in the chair next to her.

"This is Dr. Natalia Mena." General Armstrong introduced. Winry extended her hand to the red haired woman, a tired smile on her face.

"It's nice to meet you, doctor." She said. Dr. Mena nodded, pulling out more folders and placing them on the desk.

"Likewise miss Rockbell. I have heard a great deal about you." Winry cocked an eyebrow, slightly confused.

"Dr. Mena has been working as the medical help on the island, taking care of Mustang and his crew." Winry felt her heart beat into her throat, the room almost spinning around her.

"You..." She started, trying to find the proper words. "Is everyone okay? Is Ed..." She trailed off, feeling the young doctor place her hand over hers.

"That is why we have asked to speak with you." She said gently, squeezing her hand lightly. Winry felt bile rise in her throat as every horrible thought crossed her mind.

"Is he...are you trying to tell me he's passed?" She choked out, trying to sound strong. Dr. Mena shook her head, slightly calming her nerves.

"No, but unfortunately without your help he might. They have been...abusing the port on his shoulder during some of the interrogations." She stated, shuddering. Winry felt a flood of emotions shower over her, pain, fear, devastation, none of them outshining the strongest: anger.

"They have been what? What do you mean abusing it? The amount of pain having the port tampered with for an extended period of time could cause the body to go into shock!" She yelled, holding back tears. She looked over to General Armstrong, who shared her disturbed expression. "How is this legal?"

"It's technically not. It wouldn't be inland anyway. The island is far enough to the north of Amestris its follows Drachman policy." Winry exhaled sharply, putting her face in her hands.

"What's wrong with Ed?" She finally asked, looking up at the two women.

"The skin around the area, as well as what i suspect would be under the port its self is majorly infected and has been for a while. I have gotten the surface infection under control, but I fear its spread, and automail is not my expertise."

"This is where you come in." General Armstrong cut in, placing a paper on the desk in front of her. She picked it up, immediately noticing that it was a summon. "As much as I don't want this to happen, we can't have Edward die, and I'm sure you agree. Therefore, I was able to persuade, with Dr. Mena's help, to have Hakuro authorize civilian visitation on the grounds of critical medical attention for Ed. The ship leaves at dawn. Both myself and Dr. Mena will be accompanying you, you won't be alone without an escort and we won't let anything happen to you." Winry's head was reeling. She was going to this island where everyone was being held. She hadn't spoken a word to Ed since the day he left for central, and while she was anxious to see him, she wasn't sure she could stomach it.

"I wouldn't dream of turning this down. An infection is serious, and we can't have anyone die." She smiled, standing along with General Armstrong and Dr. Mena, exiting back into the dining room. Al stood, his brow scrunching at the doctor next to her.

"What's going on Win? Who the hell is she?" Winry was taken aback by his sudden burst of power, and for a moment, she saw Edward flash before her in his face.

"Alphonse calm down. She's helping us." General Armstrong snapped, setting the files Dr. Mena brought her down onto the table. "I need you to comb through the recordings and photos Doctor Mena brought for us from the island, so I don't doubt they are going to be just as horrible as the ones I've already listened to." Winry glanced at the general, noticing her face visibility soften. She walked over to Al, placing a soft hand to his shoulder. "I know its hard. Its been a long time and who knows what's been done to them...but the more we know, the more we hear and see...the better our chances of proving their charges are a personal attack." Winry smiled to herself, sitting down at the table and grabbing a file. It warmed her heart to see Al have so many strong mother like figures looking out for him. Izumi, the stern, but loving mother, Gracia, the nurturing mother, and while she didn't quite think of the general as the motherly type, she had taken Al under her wing during all of this. The longer they all worked together, the softer her features became.

General Armstrong left the building with the old files, while Al hooked up the player for the recordings. Winry started combing through the various photos of new and healing injuries, each one churning her stomach. Shattered noses on both Feury and Falman, strange burns sprinkled over Havoc, lash marks, both healing and scabbed, covering Riza's back, Ed's missing teeth, so many dark, purple and painful looking bruises covering everyone, it made her want to vomit.

She placed the second to last photo down, lifting the final one to look at it. What she saw made her heart quit beating in her chest.

"Winry? What's wrong?" Al asked, scooting over to her and looking at the photo in her shaking hands.

"Oh god, Winry...is that?" He stammered, looking harder at the image. She could feel him shaking beside her.

"I think it is...I hope it's not...but." She couldn't finish, placing the photo down once more and shaking her head. Doctor Mena lifted the photo, quickly placing it back down and spitting out a slew of angry words in Drachman.

"I remember this. Absolute _konskoye der'mo, _those men are evil. I have the recording of it right here. This specific incident, as well as the incident leading to the extraction of Edward's teeth are going to be key in proving the personal level on these attacks." She put the first tape in, pushing play.

Sounds of something, more than likely human flesh, beating beaten with something could be heard, each smack followed by a pained yell Winry automatically recognized as the flame alchemists. After moments of this, the door could be heard opening, multiple pairs of feet shuffling into the room.

_"We have something really special planned for today, so stay alert." A few quick taps to the cheek and Roy was looking up in front of him, his blood covered head struggling to hold its self up. His eyes were blurry from fatigue, but after blinking for a few moments, his focus returned and he was met with his next challenge._

_"Maes Hughes...you and the flame bastard go far back, don't you?" Kimblee crooned, stroking his face gently, causing Roy to flinch. He moved his head over, Maes locking pained eyes with him. It took him a moment to notice the blade in Rickerts hand, the tip pointing to the side of his head._

_"He is my closest friend, it's no secret." He said flatly, trying to move away from the object near his eye. Roy swallowed hard, bile burning his throat as fear overtook him. He wanted to yell out, but the fear held him back, knowing full well what happens when you speak unsolicited._

_"Is that why you helped him assassinate the Fuhrer? An act of bad judgement in the name of friendly loyalty?" Rickert asked forcefully, poking his temple with the knife, a trickle of blood running down the side of his head._

_"We did what was in the best interest of Amestris." His voice shook. Roy struggled every second not to speak as the tip of the knife pierced into Maes's flesh further._

_"You killed King Bradley, for the best interest of Amestris."_

_"No," The knife sliced down his temple. "We killed Wrath."_

_"But who is Wrath?"_

_"A dead creature."_

_"Who is Wrath?"_

_"No one now."_

_" WHO IS WRATH?!" Rickert shouted. Maes said not a word at this point, just locked eyes with Roy. Rickert lowered the knife, motioning Kimblee over to him. Roy's head was released from his grasp as the snake slithered over._

_"Hold his head still for me." With a laugh, Kimblee grasped his closest friends head, and it didn't take long for Roy to realize what was going to happen. "So since our intelligence officer is not intelligent enough to speak, we will ask you. Who is Wrath?" Roy closed his eyes, dread washing over him as he knew Maes would be tortured horrifically because of him. He scrambled for an answer that might spare him without giving anything away._

_"A homunculus, who was going to help destroy Amestris." He knew it wouldn't work. He knew what would happen. "I'm...sorry Maes."_

_Without a second pause Maes's screams shook his entire body. Tears filled his eyes, spilling down his cheeks as his best friends eye was dug out of his skull right in front of him. He couldn't hold the sobs back any longer, and as if on its own, subconscious words began spilling from his mouth over and over...repeating the same phrase over and over over the blood curdling screams._

_"I'm so sorry!"_

"I'm so sorry!" Doctor Mena stopped the recording, her skin visibly pale and a slight green color. The room was silent, save for sobs which she hadn't realized were her own. She felt Al place his hand on her back in an attempt to comfort her, and she looked to him, the pain in his eyes hurting her heart even more.

"That is absolutely barbaric." Izumi said quietly, the words stunned out of her.

"Yes, this incident was particularly gruesome. We had to cauterize the socket or he surely would have died." Doctor Mena shook her head. Al placed his hands on the table, looking down at them as a tear landed on them.

"All I know is, we can't let Gracia hear this." As if almost on cue, the sound of shattering porcelain was heard in the doorway. Winry spun around, time stopping around her as she locked eyes with none other than Gracia herself.

"Maes..." She stammered, frozen in place.

"Gracia..." she started, but paused. What could she possibly say to comfort a woman who just listened to her beloved husband have his eyeball gouged out? There were no words she decided. "I'm...so sorry."

"You are the wife?" Doctor Mena said softly. Gracia could only nod, her body shaking with sobs. The doctor stood, walking over to the distraught woman and placing her hand to her arm. "He has said many wonderful things about you, speaks of you every single day. I know I am stranger to you, but I will promise you that I will keep them alive until they come home." She embraced Gracia, and Winry's heart bled as the young mother crumbled into the doctor, sobs shaking her body.

"I appreciate all of you. Thank you for fighting so hard to save them." Winry, Al and Izumi stood from the table, wrapping their arms around the two woman as well.

"We will get our men out of there. We will bring them home." Izumi said. The group fell to their knees, and almost at the same time, their own tears joined Gracia's, a collective mourn for their loved ones.

"We will get them out."


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the late update, I had gotten sick and it put me back quite a bit, but i'm back!
> 
> TRIGGER WARNING:  
TORTURE: Physical/Psychological

"We will be docking soon, be sure to keep your guard up." General Armstrong said entering the cabin where Winry was sitting with Dr. Mena. Winry swallowed hard, the trip had been long, the sick feeling in her stomach growing by the second. The fear of seeing Ed in his current state was suffocating, but at the same time a small glimmer of relief at being able to see he was alive was present in her heart as well, the conflicting emotions at constant battle with one another. She stood along with Dr. Mena to walk out onto the deck when the general closed the door.

"Winry." She said softly, yet sternly. "Neither of us can even begin to describe what you are about to witness. For Natalia and myself, we have been trained to handle situations like this. We have been in them. You are a civilian who should never have to see what you are about to." Winry looked into the woman's blue eyes, feeling her inner strength build with each word. "We can't tell you how to feel, or how to react. But remember, we have a job to do."

"And that is to get them home." She said softly, a sad smile spreading across her lips. "I know. I can keep myself composed, for their sake." Winry felt a hand on her shoulder, the doctors accent floating past her ear.

"And don't forget, always keep your eyes open. Those two _pridurki_ are always slithering around." She spat. "You will be with me the entire time, and they know not to cross me, but i guarantee they will try."

"We will keep you safe." General Armstrong added. They felt the ship jerk, a sign they had docked. The general opened the door to the deck and the three women walked out. The snow was flying around them, large, wet flakes stinging her cheeks as the frigid air froze her to the bone. She looked around through squinted eyes, seeing nothing but snow and trees.

_Where's the building? They can't be keeping them outside...can they?_ She thought, panic beginning to fill her chest. There was no way they could survive...was there?

"Well...look who it is." A gruff, taunting voice cut into her thoughts, snapping her back. She looked up into the slimy face of Rickert, and although her heart was racing, she stood tall, putting on her poker face and staying silent. She refused to let him intimidate her.

"Just get the gate so I can speak to my clients and they can take care of Edward." General Armstrong barked, folding her arms impatiently. Winry looked at her in awe, she hoped to be as strong someday.

"As you wish, _general Armstrong_." He said condescendingly, turning to walk up the dock. Winry followed the general with Dr. Mena next to her. They walked in silence, every step bringing them closer. She looked up, finally being able to see the silhouette of the prison. Rickert approached the gate and after fumbling around for a moment, the large iron doors slowly opened. They were ushered inside, the gate closing behind them with a loud crash.

They began walking again, up the path leading to the prison, the air almost seeming colder on this side of the gate. Winry pulled her jacket around her, looking around as they made their way closer to the stone building.

"You didn't kill anybody while I was away getting supplies, did you Rickert?" Dr. Mena asked with a bite in her voice. Rickert snorted, unlocking the door to the building.

"Not this time, unfortunately." He looked over his shoulder at Winry, smirking at her. "Though we are frying us some shrimp." He began to laugh, his words making bile rise in her throat. She exhaled sharply, looking around the dark, depressing corridor they were led down, decades of despair soaked into the stone walls, threatening to reach out and wrap their cold fingers around them, never to let go.

"Well, they are in your hands now doc. I have work to do." Rickert snorted, turning and gazing at Winry once more. She frowned, locking eyes with the hulking man.

"You won't intimidate me, General. I've had plenty of practice dealing with men like you." She said, standing firm. Rickert laughed once more, walking in her direction.

"We will see about that." He said quietly as he passed her, his footsteps echoing down the corridor. The three woman all exhaled in slight relief, thankful for the bastard to be gone. Dr. Mena stepped forward, producing a key and unlocking the door. Almost immediately, they were assaulted with the smell of old blood, making the hair on her arms stand. She entered the cell behind the two older women, her grip on her toolbox tightening. She suddenly felt exceptionally small.

"Did they damage too much while I was away?" Dr. Mena asked, immediately walking over to the prisoners and looking them over. It was then she finally came into focus and saw the state of the people she called friends. It was horrific; bruises, cuts, scrapes, burns, everything littered and marred their pale flesh. All of them had lost a considerable amount of weight, and looked like ghosts of their former selves.

"Nothing to serious, they seem to be easing up a bit." Roy said, struggling to get to his feet. He slowly lifted a shaking hand to his head, saluting General Armstrong the best he could.

"At ease Mustang, now is not the time." She said, walking over to him and looking at his hands. "These look alot better than the last time I was here."

"I have Dr. Mena to thank for that." He simply said. Winry took a step forward into the room, all of them turning to look at her.

"W...what are you doing here?" He asked, the shock and fear in his eyes causing her heart to sink. Fear was not a look she had ever seen in the colonel's eyes, and it froze her to her core.

"I have to remove Ed's automail so Dr. Mena can treat an infection." She said much quieter than she intended. It was then she noticed he was not in the cell with them. "Wait...where is he?" The looks on all of their faces sent Winry into a panic.

"He's...with them." Riza looked into her eyes, tears playing at the corners. "Hopefully they bring him back soon."

"Who even knows anymore? Ever since they quit the physical torture, their sessions have become longer." Jean sadly looked at her, shaking his head.

Just then, a loud, agonizing scream tore down the hallway with such force the sound alone nearly knocked Winry off her feet. The scream was unmistakably Ed's.

"Looks like its starting up again..." Kain exhaled, the life missing from his voice. General Armstrong began walking to the door, fury in her eyes.

"Over my dead body will they actively torture someone while I'm on this property." She snarled, exiting the cell and slamming the door with a loud bang. Another scream filled the room, causing a collective cringe from every one of them, thoughts of what might be happening to the young alchemist laying thick in their minds, torturing them every second, wondering if he would be okay.

* * *

"You are wasting your time. I'm not going to confess." Ed said weakly, bracing himself as Kimblee brought the thin metal rod down on his bare back, the skin splitting on contact. He wasn't sure how long they had been in the room, but he did know he was losing feeling in his arms, which were bound to the ceiling, and so much blood had pooled under his feet he continued to slip in it, pulling on his infected shoulder. He grit his teeth, fighting with all his power not to make a sound, not to give Kimblee the satisfaction.

"Why do you fight so hard Edward? Why put yourself through this when you are just going to end up killed anyway?" Kimblee's said close to his ear. Ed forced a smile onto his face, turning his head to try to get a glimpse of his torturer.

"That's where you are wrong. After what you have done here, on top of all the evidence against you, i think the only ones meeting the hangman are going to be you, hakuro and that bastard Rickert."

"Did i hear my name?" Rickert waltzed into the room, the smile on his face making Ed feel sick. He knew something was fishy, and he was terrified to find out what it was.

"Edward here thinks we are going to be hung, not him and his little entourage." The two men began to laugh, Rickert stepping behind Ed out of view. He heard the sound of a knife being drawn, his stomach feeling sicker and sicker with each passing second.

"How foolish of you to think something like that would happen." He felt the tip of the knife trail down his back, slicing his skin. He hissed in pain, trying to ignore the sting. "We only execute criminals."

"You are a criminal!" Ed yelled out with a burst of emotion. Rickert pulled back the knife, blood dripping from the tip. He stepped in front of Ed, taking the knife and slicing down the inside of his arm. Fire burned through his flesh as he felt a warm stream of blood flow down his side, adding to the already slippery pool at his feet. Rickert laughed, admiring his knife work.

"I had something special made just for you, it should be ready any minute now." Ed narrowed his eyes, locking eyes with his torturers. He watched silently as Kimblee walked over to a bucket, lighting a fire inside. Swallowing hard, Ed turned his head back to Rickert, his brain desperately trying to figure out what was about to happen to him.

"Would you like to know the funniest part in all of this?" Rickert asked, smirking at Kimblee who was making his way behind Ed once again, trailing his fingers down his marred back.

"I wasn't aware that any of this is funny." Ed tried to keep his voice from shaking, but between Kimblee caressing his wounds and Rickert's strange surprise, he couldn't help but sound just as terrified as he truly was.

"It's hysterical actually." Kimblee added, twisting his thumb into a deep cut. "You are going to become what you fought so hard to destroy." Both men erupted into a fit of laughter.

"What the hell do you mean by that?" Ed snapped. Kimblee pressed his body painfully against Ed's back, placing his hand around his neck and squeezing firmly, cutting of his air supply. He placed his lips against his ear, and in almost a whisper, said what Ed was fearing,

"Hakuro is continuing for Bradley, and that includes making an entire new set of Homunculi." Edward gasped, fighting to breathe against Kimblees hand. "You, Mustang...who better to get bodies from? The ultimate punishment, turning you into the so called monsters you slaughtered, sending you out to arrest those you love. Its..."

"A fate...worse than...death." Ed said quietly, inhaling slowly as Kimblee released his throat. The room grew silent, save for the sound of Ed's shallow breathing. The air in the room seemed to turn into water, drowning him with every second. He couldn't believe them, they had to be lying.

"What do you have to gain?" He asked looking down at his blood soaked feet. "What is Hakuro doing to motivate you?" Rickert snorted, reaching into his pocket.

"We ask the questions here, fullmetal." He lifted something in front of his face, Ed's eyes taking a moment to adjust. "Here's a clue as to who we will be sending you after first."

Ed automatically recognized the gold ring, and his heart stopped.

"What the hell did you do to Winry?" He yelled, tears forming in his eyes. Hakuro and Kimblee exchanged looks, vile smiles on their faces.

"I told you the little mechanic had him hot and bothered." He shrugged. Edward couldnt breathe, the panic growing stronger and stronger by the second. Hakuro let him stew in his fear to grab the rod from the bucket.

"She sure is a feisty little thing. It's a shame we have to lock her up."

"What did you do to her." He asked again, more firmly. Rickert shook his head, motioning for Kimblee to hold Ed still. Within a second, he was back behind him holding his throat, pushing up on his jaw.

"We told you that we ask the questions here. Its sad such a strong beautiful woman would go after a cripple like you. Without your automail you are worthless, just a worthless cripple."

White hot pain exploded through his body as the hot iron was pressed to his flesh. His screams echoed through the room, the tears freely flowing down his cheeks as the smell of burning flesh assaulted his nostrils, the urge to vomit becoming harder to fight against. Rickert pulled the iron away, getting close to his face.

"Now, you can stop all of this now, and save her, if you just confess to assassinating Bradley."

"That's about enough gentlemen. Unbind him this instant!" Ed weakly looked up, his heart skipping a beat when he locked eyes with General Olivier Armstrong in the flesh. Rickert frowned, but called the Major on duty over to untie Ed.

"You can take him. I'm sick of looking at his disgusting body and he isn't very helpful anyway." Ed's arms were released from above his head and he instantly fell to his knees. Without hesitation, General Armstrong walked over and helped him up, her glare cold as ice. As they walked out the door, she furiously yelled,

"You will never get away with this General Rickert! You will hang for this crime!" Rickert's dry laugh echoed down the hallway as Ed and General Armstrong carefully made their way down the cold, damp corridor, back towards their holding cell. Ed tried his best to cover his chest, to hide the shameful brand he would now carry for the rest of his life.

"Thank you for getting me out of there. Any moment longer and I'm afraid of what i was going to hear." General Armstrong exhaled slowly through her nose, sadness emanating through her every pore.

"I'm sorry I can't do more to get you out of here quicker." She said, carefully adjusting her grip around his waist, careful not to touch his wounds.

"And I'm sorry I got blood on your uniform..." He looked down, shame at being so weak around the general weighing heavy on his mind.

"Don't be absurd. No human would be in any better condition. Has Mustang filled you in on anything him and I have discussed?" Ed thought for a moment, his head fuzzy from blood loss.

"I know that you and a group are working for our defense." They stopped outside the cell door, exchanging a silent agreement that he knew more than he was telling her. She opened the door, ushering him in.

"I'm assuming I'm going to have alot of work to do." Dr. Mena exhaled. Ed snorted quietly, stepping away from the general and making his way to his cot. He sat on it, drawing his knees to his chest and burying his head.

"Just stay away from me right now." He choked, trying to hold back tears.

"I'm going to go have a word with Rickert." General Armstrong said, exiting the cell quickly.

"Come on Ed, your back is torn to shreds." Riza said, attempting to coax him out. He laughed, the sound muffled by his knees.

"Who cares? I really don't care anymore." He wasn't sure if he was telling the truth, but in the moment he didn't care. He wanted to be alone with his shame. He didn't want anyone looking at his body.

_Worthless cripple..._The words floated around in his head. That's all he was, that's all he ever would be.

"Ed, you know that's not true. Come on, let the doctor look at it for you." Maes gently said. Ed just sighed. What could he possibly say at this moment? What could he feel, what could he do? In this moment, he felt like a scared child, wanting to be comforted but too afraid to admit it. He could feel the emotions bubbling up inside his chest, and without warning, he whipped his head up and yelled,

"Who the hell would care about a worthless cripple?" The cell went silent. He could feel the tears streaming down his cheeks, but he no longer cared. He blinked a few times clearing his vision, and for the first time he noticed who he had been locking eyes with.

"W...Winry?" He stammered, his entire body shaking. "What...what are you doing here?" She walked over and knelt in front of him, placing her hand on his. Originally he flinched away, but after a moment relaxed into her touch.

"I'm here to get your automail port disconnected so Natalia can treat your infection." Ed lifted a shaking hand, placing it to her cheek.

"Win...you shouldn't be here. You should have refused...you shouldn't have to see me...us like this!" He shouted, pulling her head forward so their foreheads were touching. He could feel her shaking and he could no longer hold back. Sobs began to shake his entire body as he sat up on his knees and pulled her into him, ignoring the pain in his wounds as he squeezed his arms around her, placing one hand behind her head.

"You shouldn't be involved with this at all. God Winry...I'm so sorry." He sobbed. He couldn't stop at this point.

"Ed...please let Natalia check you out and treat your wounds...okay? Do it for me?" Ed pulled back, looking into her eyes. He exhaled slowly through his nose, smiling at his would be bride.

"Alright, I just..." He didn't know what to say. "Don't make a big scene...okay?" He slowly pulled away from Winry, trying to calm his nerves as he was about to expose himself for what he was. The group gasped in unison as the true nature of his phony interrogation came to light. They could all see it now, what he was. He silently walked over to Dr. Mena, sitting in front of her so she could bandage the lacerations.

"Ed, you know..." Roy started, but stopped when Ed frowned at him.

"look. I don't want to talk about it. I don't want anyone to mention it. Just let it go." Everyone nodded in agreement, going quiet once more. Ed looked down at his chest, lifting his fingers to the brand Rickert had placed on him. He supposed it may as well happened that way. It wasn't enough to kill an innocent man and his team, but they have to degrade them as well. He sighed, tracing his fingers around it once more.

Forever, burned deep into his chest is the word 'cripple' and there was nothing he could do about it.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> no trigger warning for this chapter

"So...there's not much of a chance you were able to record that particular session, is there?" Ed asked quietly, wincing as Dr. Mena cleaned out the deep burn to his chest. The young doctor exhaled sadly, shaking her head.

"Unfortunately no, we got back after they had taken you." He closed his eyes, frowning.

"Let me guess. One of them spilled the beans?" Roy asked, snorting to himself. Ed felt a jolt of pain shoot through his shoulder, which was a sign his arm was successfully removed. He grit his teeth, trying to ignore the two different pain sensations happening all at once, turning his focus to his conversation.

"Yeah, they spilled alright." The room went silent for a moment, the tension in the air so thick it was almost choking off their air supply. Maes rubbed his remaining eye, his expression sleepy.

"So what did they say?" He asked. Ed closed his eyes, thinking of a way to put it into words.

"According to them, Hakuro has plans to continue where Bradley was. They needed bodies, and they needed to get rid of us, kill two birds with one stone."

"Ed, you aren't making much sense." Riza said, running her hand down her bruised face.

"Yeah, what do they need bodies for?" Heymans snorted. "You sure they didn't hit you in the head a few too many times?" Ed felt the anger bubbling in his chest, but he slowly exhaled trying to keep it under control.

"Yes, but that is not the point." He snapped. "They are going to create an entire new set of homunculi and plan on using our bodies for them." The entire room went still, the weight of his words crushing the breath out of everyone. The sound of metal hitting the stone floor rang through the stone cell, Winry had dropped her wrench in shock.

"H...how is that even possible?" Jean asked, handing Dr. Mena a gauze pad. Ed shook his head, feeling a little more at ease now that his ugly burn had been covered.

"I'm not entirely sure." He said, turning his head to look at his abused arm stump. With the automail disconnected, the true extent of the damage was completely visible, and it made him feel sick.

"You don't think they have more stones...do you?" Winry asked quietly, voicing the thought no one could say out loud. She moved to give Dr. Mena access to his arm, placing his head in her lap.

"That's exactly what I think." He hissed as the doctor began to palpate the infection in his flesh.

"The good news is the infection hasn't had a chance to spread as far as i thought." She sadly smiled, lifting a scalpel. "I do have to drain it though."

"Do what you have to do doc." He exhaled, his eyes trained on the ceiling. Dr. Mena nodded, taking the scalpel and making a small incision in the injury. He could feel hot liquid, more than likely pus, oozing down his shoulder, the urge to gag in disgust almost overpowering.

"But how did they get more stones?" Vato slowly changed sitting positions, shifting his weight off a swollen ankle.

"I have the same question." Maes added. "Hakuro doesn't seem the type to have that kind of intelligence."

"Hakuro might not. But I know someone working for them who does." All eyes turned to Roy, who looked back at them with eyes of his own which held no emotion.

"Kimblee." Riza said quietly. The prisoners went silent, the only sound coming from Dr. Mena working to quickly suture up Ed's incision.

"But then how did they resurrect Kimblee in the first place?" Roy wondered out loud.

"That's the part I can't really work out. Maybe there was something left over from Wrath, similar to how Dr. Marcoh had the left over stone which was used to fix Jeans legs and your eyes." Dr. Mena looked up from her work, her eyes flipping between Jean and Roy.

"So, that's how you cured blindness and paralysis. I knew looking at you the first day you got here that there was no natural way either of you could have healed from your injuries." Ed closed his eyes, using his remaining arm to push himself up to sit next to Winry.

"Yes, that is correct." Roy said, looking away, ashamed.

"You don't seem too happy about that, would you have rather been blind?"

"Well," Jean added, sadly smiling at the young doctor. "It's not that we aren't happy about it, but the stones..." He trailed off, looking down at the dirty ground, guilt washing over his entire body.

"Are made of human souls." Roy finished for him, looking over to them. Dr. Mena gently placed her hand over Jean's, giving it a tender squeeze.

"Yes, I heard mention of this in passing. Bradley was part of a plan to turn all of Amestris into one, hence why you killed him." Ed quietly laughed to himself, weakly leaning on Winry and closing his eyes.

"Nothing gets past you, does it Doc?" He laughed to himself. The cell went quiet as Ed relaxed into Winry's warm shoulder. It had been so long since he had just been held, he knew it wouldn't last long, and could possibly even be the last time he ever would feel her in this way so despite the circumstances, he was going to savor every second he was able to spend with her.

"Well, that won't be happening again, I made sure of it." General Armstrong said as he entered the cell, an exhausted look on her face. Ed exhaled through his nose, forcing his eyes to open an officially breaking out of his conscious dream.

"Thank you General." Roy smiled, his voice full of gratitude. General Armstrong walked straight over to Ed, looking over his now bandaged wounds.

"I'm sorry we didn't get here sooner. This is unacceptable." She frowned, placing a finger to his chest. Ed closed his eyes, looking away in shame.

"Its not your fault General."

"You can't control what they do when you aren't here." Maes said with a smile. General Armstrong took a place on the ground, as the cell lacked chairs, and crossed her arms.

"Luckily for you, your trial is three weeks away, so they are no longer able to cause anymore serious harm without risking throwing the entire trial." Ed, as well as every other prisoner, let out a sigh of relief at the news.

"That's great to hear. How long has it been?" Ed asked, relaxing into Winry once more, placing his head in her lap. He felt her fingers gently caressing his scalp, a feeling he never realized meant the world to him until now.

"Five months. By the time you leave it will have been six." She answered.

"It's really been that long? I can't believe it." Ed could feel a tightness growing in his chest. He rolled so he was facing the rest of the room, the dismayed faces of his comrades causing that tightness to squeeze that much harder.

"Unfortunately yes. However, we still need to get them to confess that you are completely innocent."

"If they would just slip up once when we were able to catch it on recording, you probably wouldn't even be going to trial." Winry said with a strength behind her voice that reminded Ed of why he loved her.

"That's the main issue though." Riza's voice quietly added.

"Not a single one of us have been able to provoke them into saying anything." Maes said.

"The problem being," Ed started, trying to ignore the nausea creeping up his throat. "Only a few of us have a direct connection to either of them that would elicit such a response." Roy hummed, placing a bruised hand to his chin.

"Ed, Riza Maes and myself have history with Kimblee, as well as a connection to Rickert for Myself and Riza."

"If I may be honest here Roy." Kain quietly spoke, weakly pulling himself closer to the group. "If anyone would be able to push an actual confession out of one of them, it would be you." All eyes turned to him.

"That would make the most sense. While Riza, Ed and Maes have connections as well that could be used to get under their skin, Roy has a deep seeded connection with them unlike the rest." Vato assessed. The group went silent, deep in thought.

"All I can say for now is do what you can." The general mused. "Natalia, you have more than enough supplies to last the rest of the three weeks correct?"

"Yes, I wanted to make sure I would not be making another trip back to the main land until its on the transport with the rest of them." General Armstrong smiled, Ed noticing the wheels turning in her head.

"Good. Make sure to record as much as you can. Roy? Do everything in your power to get one of them to slip up. Both Rickert and Kimblee live to see you suffer, and they both have loose tongues. Get them angry enough and they will say anything." Her eyes landed on Ed, who swallowed quickly to dissolve the lump in his throat.

"You do the same. I understand you were able to get something out of Kimblee while we were away is that correct?" Ed nodded his head against Winry's lap.

"Yeah, would you like me to fill you in?" The devious smile spreading across her face at his words cemented her answer before she even spoke it.

"Tell me everything you know."


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TRIGGER WARNING  
Threats of Rape  
Sexual Assault/Harrassment  
no actual rape

Three days had passed since the general and Winry left the island, their one small ray of light snuffed into the darkness. Roy was lying on his cot, his glossy eyes trained on the ceiling. Ever since their visitors left they had been left alone, which while welcome, had his nerves on end. He was well aware now that their trial was approaching, and they needed to be in decent physical shape to avoid throwing the entire thing. He was well aware that if they caused any more serious bodily harm it could potentially thwart their entire plan. He was also aware that the permanent damage caused during their time in this frozen hell could already throw the trial regardless.

He was aware off all of those things, yet he couldn't shake the creeping feeling that they were plotting something.

Roy wasn't sure how long he had been laying there soullessly staring into the abyss. The room had grown silent long ago, whispers replaced by quiet snores as his physically and emotionally drained team drifted off into a much needed sleep. The minutes blurred together into what could have been hours, but who knew at that point.

"What's on your mind, Roy?" Riza's soft voice pulled him from his thoughts. He looked over to his left where she was laying on her side, her head propped up on her hand. She looked so different, he thought to himself. She had lost weight. Her face, while not being quite skeletal, was thin and pale with dark circles under her tired eyes. The real change was in her eyes however. Where a passion and ferocity once burned with the heat of the sun, two sad, pain filled auburn eyes stood in their place

"Just wondering what they are planning is all. Its been days since they have dragged us out of here. Even if they can't physically harm us anymore there are plenty of mind games they could come up with." He motioned for her to join him on his cot as he rolled over onto his side to make room. She laid down next to him, feeling at ease as his arms wrapped around her.

"You sound as if you are complaining about the lack of visits." She quietly laughed into his chest. He tucked her head under his chin, stroking her back gently with his free hand.

"It's not that. I just have a feeling something terrible is about to happen to someone. They are running out of time to get anything they can use to show we are bloodthirsty killers, and the fact that its been silent has me very concerned."

"I don't doubt it. We have all been mentally preparing, it gets harder not to slip up every day that goes by." Roy quietly hummed, pulling Riza in closer and placing a gentle kiss to the top of her head.

"You are right about that. But I have faith in everyone." He paused, enjoying the feeling of her in his arms. It had been so long since he was able to hold her without fear of someone coming in that he forgot just how warm it felt. The silence stretched on for minutes as they lie there wrapped in each others arms, both content to stay that way for as long as possible.

"Do you really think they will be able to clear our names?" Riza asked, trying to hide the worry in her voice. Roy stroked her hair, contemplating on his answer.

"If you want my honest answer, I have no idea." He started. "Afterall, even though Wrath was trying to destroy Amestris, there is no proof other than the word of mouth accounts of those of us who were there. In their eyes, we did kill King Bradley in an act of assassination on the basis of a crazy farce. It's going to be difficult to prove differently."

"That's what I was thinking too. Hopefully with what we have recorded there's enough to prove the personal vendetta against you." Roy nodded, closing his eyes.

"That's the goal. I wish I could lie and say I'm not worried, but truth be told i'm absolutely terrified. I don't want to see any of you die because I made enemies with the wrong people. You followed me faithfully...and my parting gift to you is a death sentence." He bitterly laughed at himself. "It was wrong to drag you all down with me, you don't deserve any of this." Riza looked up into his black eyes, her own filling with tears.

"You know given the choice over and over again, it would always be you, And don't ever question that. We followed you into war because we believed in your cause, and we chose to stand behind you. We fought together, we lived together, not its either we survive together or..."

"We die together." Roy finished, exhaling slowly. "Riza...I know its risky, but stay here with me tonight for a while." She said nothing, but Roy knew by the way her body shifted into his what her answer was.

"You know I love you, and I'd do anything to keep you safe, right?" Riza smiled into his chest.

"And you know that I love you as well, and that I would follow you to the gallows if that is to be our fate." Roy opened his mouth to respond, but a pair of dry, yet soft lips pressed themselves to his own. Roy felt warmth spread from his lips down his entire body, his mind getting lost in that gentle, sweet gesture. They pulled away from each other, looking into the others eyes.

"Try to get some rest okay? Who knows if they have something planned for us soon, we might need our strength." Riza said, yawning and sitting up to return to her cot.

"You get some as well, hopefully the thicker blankets Natalia got for us will help. It seemed to help everyone else." They both laughed, laying down on their own cots, slowly drifting off into a semi peaceful slumber.

* * *

"Mustang, Hawkeye, you are being summoned to the interrogation room." A loud voice woke them from their slumber. Roy sat up, placing his palm to his head. "Hurry it up, the General doesn't like to be kept waiting." Roy stood, placing his hands behind his back while another Private quickly cuffed his hands behind his back. Within seconds, Riza and himself were shackled and being forced out the door, a quick look behind them showing nothing but the worried faces of their friends.

"Mr. Kimblee seems extra excited today," The private sneered, mocking his prisoners. "Wonder what they have in store for you sorry lot."

"I'm sure its nothing we can't handle." Roy said, ignoring the boys pompous attitude.

They were ushered into the interrogation room, Roy quickly scanning the set up to try to determine what they might be subjected to. There was nothing but one chair, causing the worried feeling in the pit of his stomach expand. He was led over to the chair, his arms and legs tightly strapped downso he could not move. He looked around the room once more, spotting Riza being led to another spot in the room, towards the middle. Her arms were shackled to the ceiling, and ankle shackles were added as well, attached to a post behind her. He locked eyes with her, sending her a silent nod of encouragement just as the door to the room swung open, Rickert and Kimblee slithering in like serpents. Kimblee walked over to Riza, while Rickert went over to Roy.

"So, Miss Riza Hawkeye," Kimblee started, pacing back and fourth in front of her. "Do you remember the first day you were here. You were told to place all your belongings in the bin. Do you remember this? Roy could feel a nervous sweat threatening to form on his forehead, he did not like where this was going.

"Yes sir, I do remember."

"But you disobeyed that and kept something. Unfortunately for you, we found it a while ago." Both Roy and Riza's hearts stopped beating and their breaths caught in their throats.

Kimblee was holding up a small, elegant diamond ring.

"So, whose the lucky man who managed to tame cold as ice Riza Hawkeye?" He got close to her face, his lips almost brushing her cheek.

"It was my mothers. I keep it as a memento of her." Kimblee and Rickert fell into a fit of hysterical laughter, and Roy took the opportunity to look at Riza, who was shaking her head at him. Telling him to keep his mouth shut.

"Normally, I might believe that, but you see we looked into the age of the ring, and its only about a year old. So...i'll ask again. Whose the lucky guy," Roy felt anger bubble inside his stomach as Kimblee wrapped a slimey arm around her waist, pulling her body into his. He could see the panic and fear in her eyes, causing his anger to burn that much more hotter.

"He is a civilian I grew up with, who has nothing to do with any of this." Kimblee slowly moved his hand to cup one of her Breasts, causing her to cry out.

"Well see, that's good news for me, because while I do not believe in stealing a woman's virtue in the presence of the husband to be, I have no qualms about doing so if he is not here." He removed the chain holding her shackles to the ceiling, his hand on her holding her in place. Roy wanted to yell, he knew he could't, but he felt it on his tongue, it was fighting to come out.

"I'll ask again, whose the lucky man?"

"I'll answer again, he is a civilian" Roy watched Kimblee carefully, trying to read his thought process.

"Well alright, if you insist." Without pause Kimblee tore Riza's shirt in half, exposing her naked upper body. She yelled out in shock and shame as Kimblee trailed his tongue up her neck.

"I am going to do this as slowly as possible, while your commanding officer here watched every single second." Roy had enough, the fury could no longer be contained, and before he could even get a thought out, he found himself yelling.

"Don't touch her! The ring is from me! I had it made in Resembol by a jeweler named Finkus. Please...don't touch her..." He quietly ended, tears beginning to form in the corners of his eyes. The room was silent for a moment, the only sound being Riza and Roy's panicked breaths. Roy felt a finger rest under his chin, slowly pulling his face up to look into the dark eyes of Kimblee.

"I will accept your confession, but only on one condition." Roy swallowed, the fact that Kimblee's face was completely stoic had his heart double beating.

"What condition?" He braced himself, genuinely afraid of the answer. Kimblee laughed, caressing down the side of Roy's cheek in a sick parody of affection.

"Why, you take her place of course." The entire room went silent. He could hear Riza yelling, but the sound was muffled as if under water. His stomach had tied its self in a knot, and he was fighting the urge to throw up,

"...just take me! I'm pure he is not."

"Its a deal." Both Kimblee and Riza went silent, both staring at the young colonel. Silently, he walked over to Roy, looking him over. He unstrapped his arms, extending a hand. Roy looked at it, a scowl on his face.

"You do know how to seal a deal correct? You shake hands?" He said condescendingly. He turned to the Private, tilting his head towards Riza. "You can get her out of here. Mustang and I have some very long overdue business to attend to." He extended his hand once again as Roy just looked at it. He slowly moved his hand forward until their hands were clasped, sealing the deal. He could hear Riza screaming as she was being dragged from the room, but the sound was far away, distorted like she was never really there at all.

Kimblee walked over in front of Roy, slowly trailing his fingertips down his body, causing him to shiver. He closed his eyes and turned his head as he felt hands exploring between his legs and down his abdominal muscles. Finally, his hand trailed up his neck, cupping his face and turning his head back forward. Squeezing his fingers in Roy's hair, he pressed their lips together in a kiss that made Roy want to vomit.

_This is for you Riza_

_This is to protect you Riza_

_This is because i love you Riza..._

Kimblee finally pulled away, their quick breaths mingling between their mouths.

"You have no idea, Mustang, how long I've been waiting for this moment, and I promise you, I am going to make it the worst experience of your pathetic life."


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TRIGGER WARNING:  
AFTERMATH OF SEXUAL ASSAULT  
MENTION OF SEXUAL ASSAULT

Ed could hear Riza's screams well before she was thrown roughly back into their cell, her frantic sobs making his heart race. He had no idea what had transpired between the four of them, but he did know it was something horrible enough to completely shake Riza to her very core. The team made their way over to her, Maes draping his shirt over her bare shoulders and placing her head under his chin in an attempt to soothe her. Footsteps sounded in the doorway, causing Ed to spin around so quickly he became dizzy. As his eyesight cleared, he saw who was standing in their cell, and it caused his blood to boil.

"Get the hell out of here Rickert!" He yelled, white hot anger radiating from every pore. "Obviously you have done enough!" He felt his hand curl into a fist, the urge to punch the bastard almost too strong to ignore.

"My, what bad manners you have." He sarcastically said, mock offense on his face. "And to think I am just here to return the ladies property to her as we have no more use for it." He tossed something into the cell towards Riza, a soft _tink _sounding as it hit the stone floor. Riza, without looking up from the ground, slowly picked up the ring, holding it in a tight fist. Rickert laughed, staring down at the woman sitting between her men.

"Boy, I'm glad I'm not Mustang right now." He taunted, locking eyes with her. Ed narrowed his eyes, staring at the general in disgust. "He's going to have a very bad day I think. What do you think...Riza?" Ed saw a spark light then, a spark in the young lieutenants eye that had not been present since their arrest.

"Go to hell you bastard!" She yelled, her voice full of hate.

"Yeah, you have done plenty! Leave the poor woman alone!" Kain said, glaring dagers at the man. He laughed harder.

"Had you just told the truth this wouldn't be happening in the first place, but no you chose to lie, so now he pays the price for your insolence. It really is hilarious. I wonder if you will hear his screams all the way in here." Ed felt his anger boiling hot underneath his skin, his vision beginning to blur in rage.

"You know damn well whatever is happening to him right now would have happened regardless, stop trying to claim otherwise." Ed shouted, sharply inhaling through his nose in an attempt to keep some form of composure. Rickert approached him, the smug smile on his face growing wider as he towered over him.

"You are right, fullmetal. It would have, and I wouldn't be surprised if the worm enjoyed every second of it. He was quick to agree, after all." Ed felt a sharp pain in his head as Rickert's massive fist smashed into his jaw, knocking his weakened frame to the ground. He turned towards the door, only stopping to add a few parting words that filled Ed's entire being with dread.

"Weather you survive past the trial or not is now obsolete. In Mustang's case, he's already dead as of today." His laugh echoed through the room as he closed the door, finally leaving them in peace. They all sat silently for what seemed like minutes, trying to regain their composure. Ed looked around the cell, desperately wanting to say something but not having the words to do so. He locked eyes with Jean for a brief moment, his dead stare showing every bit of exhaustion the man felt in his entire body. He nodded at Ed, almost as if he knew what he was thinking. He finally had the words, and all it took was a little encouragement.

"So...what's going on? There are alot of unanswered questions here."

"Roy..." Riza said quietly, a tear sliding down her cheek. "They threatened to harm me in front of him if I didn't tell them who my ring was from, so he confessed and said it was from him." She looked down, the shame on her face squeezing Ed's heart.

"And I'm going to go out on a limb and say he spoke true?" Jean said gently, a small smile playing at the corner of his lips. "I knew it would happen eventually."

"So what happened after that?" Heymans asked. Riza shook her head, another tear escaping from her eyes.

"He made a deal with Kimblee..." She paused, her body shaking.

"Riza...what kind of deal? What is happening to Roy?" Maes said quietly. Ed crossed over to the other side of the room, taking the blanket off his cot and wrapping it around her.

"He took my place. He..." She stopped, her haunted eyes reaching every single one of them, portraying the vile words without saying them out loud.

"Damnit!" Maes punched the stone floor, squeezing his eye shut in pain. "He went back on his own oath..."

"Does it surprise you though?" Ed finally added shaking his head and looking at the ground. "I can't say I wouldn't do the same for Winry, in fact, I know I would." The room fell silent, the group of battered prisoners becoming completely lost in thought. After what felt like an eternity, Riza finally spoke up once again.

"I don't know exactly what Kimblee is doing to him," She started, inhaling through her nose to steady her voice. "But I do know the Roy Mustang we know, the Roy we all love...he's gone. He will never be the same."

0000000

Roy was on the ground, his eyes blankly staring ahead. His entire body was throbbing, more so in his lower quadrants, and he felt as if the life had been sucked away from him. His mind was blank, he couldn't think about anything except the pain he was feeling, and the humiliation at what had just transpired between himself and Kimblee. He could hear the sound of Kimblee's belt being fastened around his waist, and it made him want to vomit. He knew what he did was for Riza, and he would never take it back, but he still felt dirty. He wanted to shower in scalding water until his skin peeled away. He could hear Kimblee approaching him, but his body didn't want to move, it refused to respond.

"Now that was quite a time, wasn't it, _Roy_?" He mocked, lifting his head from the bloody floor to look at him. He laughed, "Just look at you now. Once upon a time you were on track to becoming Fuhrer of Amestris. You were one of the most powerful alchemists in the military, and you fried an entire nation by your own hand." He let Roy's head fall back to the floor. "But not now. We have taken everything from you. Your title, your respect, your will. You are nothing but another mans plaything now." He paused, pacing back and fourth across the interrogation room. Roy slowly and painfully pushed himself into a sitting position, pulling his pants up to hide his shame.

"Now, my question is, was it worth it?" He locked eyes with Roy, his face missing any form of emotion much to his surprise. Roy studied him a moment, wondering what he was getting at.

"Was what worth it?" He quietly said, his voice flat. Kimblee laughed, approaching Roy and slowly brushing his hand down the side of his cheek. Roy involuntarily flinched away, much to his shame.

"Why, being the hero of Amestris of course." He knelt down, dropping to his knee in front of him. "You could have followed the rest of us you know. You had the potential, the drive for power...and yet you chose to save the country that has now turned its back on you. You went through literal hell, putting your life on the line and losing your eyesight for it. The painful recovery, the suffocating fear of being blind. You went through all of that..." He paused, a sickening smile sliding across his face. "And yet here you are. You and your subordinates have been starved, beaten, mutilated, and degraded. Your closest friend lost an eyeball. And you, you were just sodomized by your old war buddy. You have lost everything, your dignity, respect, sanity...your will. Well, Mustang, was it really worth it?"

Those words ignited a struggle inside Roy's head that was so intense he almost couldn't breathe. Was it worth it? They destroyed Father and prevented Amestris from being swallowed, but for what? Bradley's successor was his right hand man. No changes happened, aside from delaying the death of the entire country. Their pain and anguish were all for nothing. He couldn't wrap his mind around it, his head feeling as if it would explode. A low laugh rumbled through his chest, uncontrollable and unsettling.

"That's where you are wrong, Kimblee." He looked up into his eyes, a sudden flame sparking to life inside him. "My will has not been destroyed. In fact, my will to see another day past our trial is stronger than ever. I will never regret participating in the fight to save Amestris, and I will never regret standing up for the good of the people, weather they find me a traitor or not." He paused, soaking in the anger spreading across Kimblee's features. He leaned in until their noses were almost touching, and said sternly,

"I'd rather be hung a traitor knowing Amestris would live to see another day, than live a coward, kissing the feet of a wannabe god." Kimblee narrowed his eyes, pulling Roy's head back by his hair.

"You are alot stronger than I have you credit for...it seems." "You underestimate everything. And that...will always your downfall." Roy laughed, forcing a smirk to spread across his sore lips. Kimblee shook his head, exhaling sharply. "I see, so let it be." He simply said, standing up and exiting the room, sending the guards in to collect Roy and bring him back to their cell. He was handcuffed and pulled to his feet. Every step he took was excruciating, but he refused to show any weakness on his face. They silently made their way down the corridor, none of them daring to make a sound. As they approached the doors, one of the guards told the other to grab Dr. Mena. He removed the handcuffs and harshly shoved Roy into the cell, slamming the door without saying a single word. The room was silent, Roy looking at his team and his team looking at Roy.

"Roy..." Riza said quietly, her voice cracking. "I..."

"Don't apologize Riza." He said, sitting on his cot. "You would have done the same for me." He looked around at each prisoner, their eyes so full of despair that it made his stomach sick.

"Roy..." Maes started, but stopped. Not a single one of them knew how to proceed with any form of conversation, so they sat in silence for a while, each staring off into their own little world.

The sound of keys jangling in the lock on their cell door snapped everyone back to consciousness, fear rising in their hearts. The tension dissipated almost instantly, however, when the familiar Drachman doctor stepped into the room, her anger radiating off her like the rays of the sun.

"I can't believe that _bol'naya pizda _what on earth was he thinking?" She snapped furiously, walking over to Roy and looking him over. "Are you injured too bad?" Roy slightly reeled back, the anger of the woman feeling strong against him. She instantly softened her demeanor when she noticed Roy's reaction. "Please excuse me. The guard told me what had happened and I let my temper get the best of me." Roy quietly laughed, looking at the ground.

"Don't worry about it doctor, and no, I'm not hurt too bad. About as bad as you would expect, but no worse than that." He intentionally kept himself vague, trying to hide his shame. The doctor clicked her tongue in disgust, cleaning out a particularly deep gash to his side.

"There is no way they can get away with this." Ed said, punching the ground. Roy's mind snapped, Kimblee's words floating back into his head.

_Was it worth it?_

_You chose to be the hero._

_You chose to save Amestris._

"They won't!" He almost yelled, startling the entire room. All eyes fell to Roy as a dark look fell over his eyes. "Kimblee confessed. He said it all." A collective gasp sounded through the cell, reverberating off the stone walls.

"Was the device in the room?" Vato asked, his jaw dropping. Dr. Mena nodded her head, a triumphant smile beaming on her face.

"Yes, I made sure of it right before they were taken back."

"That means he confessed on tape!" Riza almost laughed, filling Roy's heart with warmth. The cell felt lighthearted for once, and Roy couldn't be more grateful for it.

"Now all we need to do is show it to the council and there's no way they can convict us. We won't even go to trial." Jean leaned his arm on his knee, a sparkle in his tired eyes. Dr. Mena stood, gathering her supplies.

"You all get some rest, I am going to get that recording before anyone finds it. A few more weeks are you will be free. Hang tight okay?" She smiled at the group before quickly exiting.

"You heard the doctor, let's try to get some rest. It's been...a long day." Roy said, laying down and turning towards the wall, not wanting to speak to anyone at the moment. He waited for what seemed like hours until every single one of them was snoring, and only then did he finally let the sobs take over his body, his hand squeezing over his mouth to avoid making any noise. He didn't want to wake anyone, he didn't want anyone to worry for him, but they couldn't be contained any longer, the overwhelming pain of their imprisonment finally becoming too much to bear. His entire body shook, tears rolling down his cheeks soaking the fabric under his head. He let his grief escape when he knew he was alone, unaware that a certain blonde alchemist was still awake, hearing every heartbreaking sob, and thinking painfully to himself,

"We got a confession out of Kimblee...but at what cost?"

000000

Dr. Mena walked quickly to the interrogation room, a spring in her step. They finally got the recording of the confession they had been waiting for, and her heart couldn't be happier. She approached the door to the room, slipping in quickly and walking over to her hiding spot. She pulled the fake stone away from the wall, but to her dismay, the machine was nowhere to be found. She felt her heart drop, the recording device was placed right before the interrogation.

"Looking for this, Doctor?" She spun quickly, her heart leaping into her chest. She locked eyes with one of the young privates stationed as a guard, and she calmed slightly.

"Look, this tape has evidence on it that proves those men are innocent." She started, walking towards him. The young man drew his gun, his hands shaking.

"Step back or I'll shoot." He stammered, his voice shaking. Dr. Mena froze in place, raising her hands in front of her to show she was unarmed.

"Would you really let innocent people be executed? Have you heard the story of why they are here? What happened?" She gently crooned, her voice soothing the young man.

"Well, I'm here on orders from Fuhrer Hakuro, so I have no choice but to report this." She shook her head slowly, placing her hand out, palm up for him to hand her the tape.

"No, your duty is to do what is right, and this is not right." The private began walking forward, extending the tape out to her.

"If you get caught with this, don't tell them I gave it back to you."

"She won't have to. We just saw the entire thing." Rickert's voice boomed in the doorway, his large frame walking swiftly to Dr. Mena, gripping her wrist as hard as he could, causing her to yell out in pain. "I'll be taking that." He placed the tape in his pocket, pulling the doctor off the ground by her wrist.

"You are a monster General. I refuse to stand by while you torture innocent people." He laughed, throwing her to the ground roughly.

"Well, this was your only weapon, and now it's gone." He turned to walk out of the room, turning and sneering at the drachman. "You can continue to care for the cretins until we return to the mainland. However, once we are there, consider yourself a fugitive, another traitor to the state of Amestris."

His cackle echoed through the room even after the door had closed, taunting the doctor as she sat in the spot she had been thrown in, fear gripping her. They had be so close, and in the blink of an eye it was all ripped out from under them. She felt tears prick the corner of her eyes and she could no longer contain herself. With tears staining her cheeks, she threw her head back and devastatingly yelled,

"_PROKLYAT'YE!"_


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FINALLY  
So sorry it took so long to update. I was having an insane amount of trouble writing this chapter as it is the turning point of the story, and I still don't know if I like it or not.
> 
> thanks for reading!!!
> 
> UPDATE: Has not even been 24 hours and I've gone through and completely changed a character. Originally they were going to be inspired by the character from the 2003 anime, but I changed my mind and decided to add him in, playing a different role. Hope you like the cameo!

"Get up, its time to go." Rickerts gruff voice rang through the stone cell. The group aroused, slowly pulling themselves from the floor, tired smiles playing at the corners of their mouths. The previous month had been long and painful, both physically and mentally, and more than anything they just wanted to be back on mainland soil. Two guards, as well as the private who found the tape, more so for supervision over anything else, entered the room. He silently approached Roy, shackling his wrists into stocks, his healed but mangled hands popping in protest. He winced in pain, causing the young man to flinch away.

"I'm sorry." He said quietly, his voice shaking. Roy looked down at his hands, exhaling slowly.

"Don't apologize...you did what you could, and we are grateful." He was pulled from the ground and helped to stand of shaking legs before a different set of hands wrapped themselves around his restraints, roughly jerking forward to bring him nose to nose with an angry looking Kimblee.

"You may have survived this part," He started, his breath ghosting over Roy's lips. "But we get the satisfaction of knowing that even if you do survive past trial, you will only be husks of your former selves." A sick smile smile spread across his face, causing Roy's stomach to instantly knot. Refusing to show defeat, he straightened himself, bringing himself level and his face away from Kimblee's.

"Think what you want, Kimblee." He rasped as strongly as he could as the private began to lead him over to the rest. "You will never break us." Kimblee laughed, taking up the rear of the group as they left their stone hell for the final time. Silence fell over the group as they made their way outside, the sunlight assaulting their eyes painfully. Roy winced, his head exploding in white hot pain as his eyes tried to adjust to light he had not seen in half a year.

"Odd place to have a cherry tree." Riza's quiet, flat voice sounded next to him. He squinted in her direction, his soul calming when he saw her squinting back.

"Yeah, my bet would have been on hemlock." Ed chimed in ahead of them.

"Or stinkweeds." Jean snorted. Roy quietly laughed to himself, eyes finally adjusting enough to open them. There was not a cloud in the sky, the sun feeling soft and warm on his vitamin D starved skin. Riza was correct in saying that the cherry trees were in bloom, the blossoms falling like snow around them. Roy lost himself in the beauty for a moment, forgetting about all the pain, the suffering, the never ending screams of his comrades and friends, Kimblee...he forgot all of it for just one moment, allowing himself to be soothed by the smells and feelings around him.

"Earth to Mustang." Rickert barked, knocking on his head twice and snapping him back into his hellish reality. "Time to get on the boat. Don't you want to see all your friends and family? Or better, have them see you? Become a cautionary tale to all Amestrian youth?" He roughly shoved Roy forward onto the ramp into the ship, the sudden motion almost causing him to lose his footing.

They were led through the familiar hallways of the ship, down each level descending into the maximum security cell in the brig. Their only comfort came in the fact that the prisoners aboard the ship were too stunned by their appearance to taunt them as they did on the way to the island, this time being replaced by whispers about "what happened" and "how is this legal" and even "I stand with Team Mustang." Making Roy wonder just how terrible they actually looked to the outside.

The group was shoved into the dank room, their wrists kept shackled but this time not attached to the wall.

"Luckily for you," Kimblee sneered, "you're injuries are not quite healed enough for it to be safe to tie your arms above your head."

"Not that you would be strong enough to do anything anyway." Rickert added. Entering the room and tossing none other than Dr. Mena into the cell along with them.

"Sorry, sweetheart, nothing personal." He shrugged, turning to leave the cell, Kimblee at his side. "We just know you are not trustworthy, therefore belong here."He paused, thinking for a moment. "In fact, I think we should bring Private Tringham as well, since he was working with the miscreants behind our backs." The two men cackled as the door slammed, leaving the group once again in darkness.

000000

"I should have never convinced you to give me back the tape." Dr. Mena started, guilt washing over her face as she looked at the young man sitting in their cell with them. "I damned you with the rest of us...and you are just a boy." The private shook his head, frowning at the doctor.

"Hardly a boy." He light heatedly huffed. "I'm twenty years old." Roy looked at the young man in horror.

_Twenty years old...he's twenty...and I signed his death certificate._

"Not much older than me." Ed's quiet voice sliced through the silence like a taught piano wire, cutting Roy in half.

_Oh God...Ed. I've killed you too. I'm so sorry..._

"I guess even at twenty you can struggle with knowing what's right and what's wrong." The private looked at Roy, the beginnings of a black eye just starting to form. "I literally stood outside the door while unspeakable things were done to all of you...I didn't even try to stop it, I just kept telling myself I was following orders...what kind of sick person does that?" Without so much as a thought, Roy blurted out.

"I don't know private, what kind of sick person almost completely torches an entire innocent country because they were 'just following orders?'" The silence was deafening as Roy could feel every eye traveling to him, the tension so thick you could taste it. He kept intense eye contact, his onyx fixed on the mans blues. "What is your name Private?" the private swallowed, some of the tension visibly dissolving.

"It's Tringham. Russell Tringham." Roy smiled, lifting his shackled hand to his forehead in an attempt at a salute.

"Thank you." Riza joined Roy in salute, and soon the entire team was maneuvering their binds in order to salute the now sheepish looking private.

"But...I don't understand." He said, shaking his head.

"You didn't keep the recording." Kain said weakly, smiling.

"Yeah, it takes guts to join the military," Jean smirked, sitting next to Russell and awkwardly punching his arm. "But it takes a real set of balls to defy that same military when you know they are doing wrong." Russell snorted quietly, but his facial expression was nothing but gratitude.

"So, you really mean to tell me that Bradley was some sort of literal monster?" He asked. Ed cleared his throat, crossing his legs under him.

"Maybe we should start from the very beginning." He looked at Roy, the blankness behind his usually vibrant golden eyes knotting his stomach.

"You mean...?"

"Yeah...all the way back to Xerses."

00000

"So, your father created this entire thing?" Russell asked, a look of total disbelief on his face. "And you were blind? None of this makes sense, but at the same time it makes perfect sense. It sounds like a fairytale..."

"Yes, it does." Ed cut in. "But do you understand why we had to get rid of him now? If we hadn't..."

"The entire county would be dead." He finished for him. The entire room nodded in unison, falling silent. They stayed to themselves for a long while, a few dozing off and snoring quietly.

"I want to testify about what I saw on the island." Russell's voice broke the silence, startling everyone. Maes yawned, rubbing his eye awake.

"You do know that would make you an automatic target for arrest during the next wave, right?" He asked. Russell shook his head.

"Natalia is fighting for you when she isn't even part of the military." He said, smiling at the young doctor. "Besides, I didn't give the recording up remember? I pretty already made myself a target. May as well do everything we can now, even more so if what Kimblee said to Ed about Hakuro was true." The boat jerked, a sign that they had docked. Their stomachs dropped, it was time to face the public. A public they had no idea how to feel about. Would people be angry with them? Or would people be angry with Amestris?

"Alright traitors, it's showtime." Kimblee burst through the door, grabbing Dr. Mena and Russell and pulling them away from the group ahead of them. Roy was positioned in the front of the line, Riza close behind. They were directed by two majors and an unwilling Private Tringham back through the dank ship, this final time through full of nothing but well wishes for the group. They were stopped at the door leading to the outside, Kimblee walking back in, a smug smile on his face.

"There are a ton of people out there." He snickered, looking up and down the prisoners. "Right up front are quite a few familiar faces too. Should be a real treat!" He whistled, Rickert motioning with his hand for them to proceed walking. Roy could feel his heart beating in his throat as he took his first step outside the ship. The crowd went completely silent as soon as he was fully exposed, the blood rushing in his ears making his head feel foggy. He looked over the crowd, there had to be hundreds of people, all gathered to watch them walk to a vehicle. At first he felt so overwhelmed that he couldn't make out any faces, but then a shrill, unmistakable cry thrust him back into his body.

"Mommy what did they do to daddy? Where is his eye!?" The young voice of none other than Elicia Hughes rang out over the crowd. He spotted her and Gracia, fat tears rolling down Elicias cheeks and Gracia looking more exhausted than he had ever wanted to see her.

"It's okay baby!" He heard Maes painfully call out from behind him as the distance grew between the small family. "Daddy's okay and he will see you soon! I love you both..." A Jab to the head from the butt of one of the majors guns stopped him mid sentence. They continued to walk, the vehicles in sight.

"Brother!" Ed whipped his head around so quick he almost blacked out. Alphonse was standing with Winry and Izumi, the trio red eyed and pale.

"They won't get away with this! We have a pretty solid case!" Izumi called. Ed called back, ducking to avoid the same gun that bashed Maes.

"Our first legal visits begin later this afternoon, however many in the team may come." He paused, locking eyes with Al, not even trying to suppress the tears that began to fall from his own eyes. Before they were too far away to be heard, he yelled "Please, come!" The pleading undertone in his voice made Roy sick. No teenager should be going through this...none. Roy continued to scan the crowd. He spotted Denny Brosch and Maria Ross, both sick and repulsed. Alex Armstrong was beside them, sobbing at the sight of his friends.

"This is an outrage!" He bellowed. "These men were obviously tortured horrifically! My dear sister will see to it that you are all acquitted!"

"You're god damn right I will." General Armstrong shoved her way past her brother to the group. "Hey there, I'll be riding along with you because we obviously can't trust these idiots with the simple task of taking care of prisoners."

"Its appreciated." He said, stopping outside one of the black cars meant to transport them to the central prison. The guards on duty began loading them up when yet another outcry stopped them in their tracks.

"They crippled his hands Ma! HIS HANDS!" The voice, which Roy recognized as Vanessa, frantically cried. "If that's not a personal attack I don't know what it is." He looked to his sister and aunt, Vanessa looking a mess and Chris furiously smoking.

"Don't we know it baby." She said, adjusting her volume to address Roy as he was being led into the car. "Don't you lay down for them my boy! You fight until they know you are innocent!" He only had time to nod in acknowledgement before being roughly shoved into the Vehicle alongside Riza, Ed and Maes, General Armstrong taking up the front. The door slammed in his face, the muffled outcries of the public beginning to fade as the car pulled out of the lot and began their trek towards their new temporary home, where they will wait with their very lives in the balance, put there by the very people they were trying to protect.


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We are getting there!!! Sorry about the delay once again I promise I will not abandon this work!! 
> 
> No trigger warnings here

The team was led through central jail quickly, the officers working to draw as little attention to them as possible as they were fingerprinted and checked into the system. Another doctor came and assessed their many injuries, none of which were, thankfully, too serious. Roy kept his encounter with Kimblee a secret, the last thing he needed or wanted was some random doctor prodding in areas he didn't need to be, nor did he want to be examined in that way in front of his team. He knew they knew, but no one said anything about it to him and he preferred to keep it that way. It was bad enough they were all once again being herded around naked like cattle, their filthy, bruised and marred bodies on display for anyone who wished to take a peek.

They were lead into a large room with shower heads coming out of the walls and the doors closed loudly behind them. Lukewarm water began pouring out of the spouts and with a silent agreement, the team began washing months of grime and old blood off their pale flesh. Roy could feel the dirt and blood leaving his scalp and running down his back, a feeling that both delighted and disgusted him. He couldn't remember a time in his life when he had felt so filthy, physically and emotionally, and he just wanted to stand under the water until he completely washed away. He looked to Ed on his right, who returned the look with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.

"At least we are finally getting clean." He shrugged, running his hands through his wet hair. "It's the small things...right?" Roy smiled, checking his own scalp for any clingers.

"It's the small things for sure." He walked over to the far left wall and attempted to grab a towel to dry off with, his hands failing to grip causing the towel to fall to the ground. He sharply exhaled, annoyed at his uselessness. Maes walked up next to him, grabbing his own towel and handing Roy's back to him.

"Thanks Maes." Roy said quietly, ashamed. Maes just shrugged, quickly drying off.

"You will get use of your hands back when this is all over. They have therapy for stuff like that now."

"Yeah, if we even make it out." Jean snorted, wrapping his towel around his waist.

"Come on now, don't be so negative." Riza shook her head, wringing her hair out onto the floor.

"Well he does have a point." Ed said quietly behind them. "We need to start thinking of the 'what ifs' here. What if we get proven guilty?"

"What if our evidence isn't enough?" Kain added, looking down.

"What if..." Roy started, looking at the emaciated faces of his team. He opened his mouth to finish his thought when the door opened, and the two officers entered the shower once again with those sad, gray prison clothes he'd never dreamed he would be the one wearing. Each person was handed a pair that they quickly slipped into, the guards turning their heads to give them some privacy.

"Are you about done? Its about time for lunch and while I know the food is terrible, i'm sure its much better than what you were getting, and you won't want to miss it." Roy forced a smile on his face, thankful that the officers were on their side.

"We have no reason to complain now." He said flatly. "Nothing could compare to what Chinui Island is." The younger of the two worked to shackle them, shaking his head.

"Well, if you ask me I think something fishy is going on." The older guard nudged his shoulder, ushering the team to follow them.

"You can't talk like that out loud. Don't you young kids know anything? Getting busted in this day and age is a one way ticket to prison."

"What do you mean a one way ticket to prison?" Ed growled. "So Hakuro put a lid on free speech?" The two officers exchanged glances, turning towards the group of prisoners behind them. The younger officer chewed his cheek, looking for the right words to say.

"Well, they are starting to assume if you support you also helped. The mass amount of arrests being made in connection to Bradley's death are astounding." The other officer nodded.

"They even extradited a pair from Xing a little over a week ago. They must be pretty confident in a guilty verdict." Roy felt the blood stop in his veins, the doors to the cafeteria opening and the sounds of hundreds of inmates stopping as all eyes fell on them.

_Extradited a pair from Xing..._

_A pair from Xing..._

_Extradited..._

"Edward! Roy!" A voice broke him from his thoughts. The team looked in the direction of the voice, Roy's stomach dropping as none other than Ling and Lan Fan quickly approached them.

"So the bastards locked you up too?" Ed angrily said. "This is completely nuts." They each took a tray and sat at a table with Ling.

"Yeah. We didn't even know anything was going on until Al wrote to us and explained everything. Unfortunately my father had no choice but to turn us over once they showed up. We did kill the fuhrer after all." Roy looked down into his lap, suddenly feeling sick to his stomach.

"We had a damn good reason to I'd say." He said quietly, looking at his mangled hands.

"They don't seem to think so." Lan Fan said quietly, taking a bite of her sandwich. "They are looking for Mei too, but she disappeared shortly before they came to arrest us."

"But she's just a kid." Riza sadly exhaled. "They are really going to take a child to the gallows?"

"This is not the Amestris we promised to protect." Maes rubbed his eye, lightly scratching under his patch. "I can't believe this is happening."

"I can't believe what they were allowed to do to you." Ling shook his head. "Missing an eye, ruined hands, you don't even look the same." Ed bitterly laughed.

"Not that we would know. Haven't looked in a mirror in half a year."

"Honestly...i don't even think I want to see what we look like now." Jean sighed, scooping some cold beans into his mouth. The group fell silent as they ate, no one having the stomach to speak.

"Well all I know is most people are on our side, including the officers here. That's a good thing...right?" Ling said quietly, staring down at his empty tray.

"It won't matter unless the council is." Heymans sighed, shaking his head. "The council is all that matters now."

"Isn't that the truth." Vato ran his hand down his face.

"Time's up, back to your cells!" An officer yelled over the chatter of the cafeteria. He approached the table where the team sat, a sympathetic smile on his lips.

"You have a meeting with your defense team, if you would follow me please." The group bid farewell to their friends before being shackled and herded into a meeting room. They sat at a large table, waiting for the others to arrive, no one speaking as the seconds ticked away. The door opened, Olivier entering followed by Al, Winry, Gracia, Izumi, Russel and Natalia. Without skipping a beat, Al quickly made his way over to Ed, gently throwing his arms around him and pulling him into a strong embrace. Roy could see the way Ed squeezed him, and it broke his heart. After their short reunion they took their seats and the general placed a thick stack of folders on the table in front of them, clearing her throat to begin.

"This, is all the evidence we have that you are innocent, aside from the interrogation recordings we were able to salvage." She frowned, looking at the folders.

"What..." Roy started, clearing his throat and wiping a hand across his mouth. "Is the probability of my men getting out of here?" She shook her head, looking to her defense team.

"Well, it really is a toss up at this point." She said, exhaling.

"It would have been solid had Rickert not caught me." Natalia grumbled, letting a few drachman curses flow past her lips. Ed shifted in his chair, maneuvering his cuffed wrists into a more comfortable position.

"Did you guys know Ling and Lan Fan were here?" He asked quietly.

"Yes. They arrested them in an attempt to keep Ling from testifying." Al said angrily. "They are looking for Mei too."

"Yeah, that's what Ling was saying." Roy said. The general took one of the folders, opening it and handing it to Roy, who promptly dropped it from between his fingers. He looked into the eyes of his friends on the other side, feeling his cheeks go hot in embarrassment. Riza picked them up, offering him a small smile.

"It's okay." She said softly, placing the papers on the table in front of him. "We all understand."

"Couldn't that specifically be used against them?" Izumi asked, looking between Roy and the general. Olivier took a sip of water, her eyes trailing down to Roy's hands.

"That's part of the plan." She affirmed. "Would you be willing to demonstrate your alchemy in court Mustang?" Ed slammed his fist on the table, his anger spreading through the entire room.

"You know he couldn't do that! They messed him up. How could he snap when he can't even pick up a stack of papers?" He yelled, seeing red. Winry placed her hand softly over his, instantly soothing the beast.

"That's the point, Edward." Izumi scolded. Ed quieted down, staring them in the eyes. "If we ask and he physically can not perform..."

"Then it proves the damage to his hands are intentional." Gracia finished, stroking the palm of Maes's hand with her thumb.

"Exactly." General Armstrong continued. "The judge has also ruled against Rickert and Hakuro in forbidding Ling to testify, so he will be there to share his story, as well as Private Tringham here, who was witness to the last month or so of your imprisonment, is that correct?" The young blonde nodded his head.

"I heard and saw almost everything, and I've already begun writing a statement." Roy smiled at both teams, his heart feeling full.

"But even so, this still might not be enough." Jean folded his hands, resting his forehead on his fists. "Parliament could easily chalk it up to 'we got what we deserved' and label us traitors anyway."

"Yes, this is a strong possibility, I'm not going to deny that." General Armstrong agreed, looking to each of the team.

"But the fact remains," Natalia said, "There are multiple people that can confirm your story, as well as multiple that were witness to whats happened since."

"So, now we just work on preparing mentally for court." Roy sighed, exhausted. Everyone fell silent for a moment, looking at different papers and catching up on all the evidence they had acquired. It was only when Ed spoke did the room look up once more.

"If..." He started, his voice shaking. He looked into everyones eyes, the fear in his eyes gut wrenching. "If that verdict comes back guilty...Every single one of you needs to leave. Immediately." All eyes fell on him, the tension so thick it could be sliced with a knife.

"We wouldn't just abandon you Ed." Al said, shaking his head.

"Yeah, even in a swift execution trial the accused get two days for a chance reprieve." Winry said, tears in her eyes. Ed shook his head, his own tears spilling down his cheeks.

"You don't understand. They are going to come for you next. You already know this Win...we talked about it during your visit."

"They won't be able to do anything like that Ed." a small, sad smile spread across Al's face as he spoke to his brother. Ed opened his mouth to respond when the door opened, two officers stepping into the room.

"Time's up for today, so say your goodbyes okay?" The young woman said, a smile on her face. They embraced each other for a brief moment, much too short, and were ushered out of the room and into their cells until dinner, Roy's unfinished thought from earlier floating around in his head, taunting him.

_What if...we really are to die?_


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TRIGGER WARNING:  
Threats of Sexual Assault

"All rise."

Roy and his team shuffled to their feet, their heads held high as they locked eyes with the judge, trying to read any kind of emotion in his face. Roy had spoken to him many times in the past, but his eyes were blank as he examined the group of defendants standing in front of him. They were silently staring at each other for a moment, as if one was waiting for the other to speak. He finally exhaled sharply, briefly looking to the council before speaking.

"You all stand before me accused of treason for the assassination of Fuhrer King Bradly, capitol murder, and aiding and abetting a deadly crime. These charges, if found guilty, bring with them a mandatory, swift death sentence. Do you understand the seriousness of the charges brought against you by the state of Amestris?" Roy swallowed, attempting to dislodge the lump growing in his throat.

"We understand your honor." He said clearly, looking to each of his team members, who silently sent encouragement.

"There have also been additional charges brought up against Edward Elric, as well as yourself, Roy Mustang, for the performance of human transmutation alchemy, which is strictly prohibited by law, under section seven, code one - eight - seven - two. If found guilty, additional penalties will be added. Do you understand?"

Roy could feel the blood rushing in his ears. He locked eyes with Edward, who, despite trying to hide it, looked completely terrified. They had not been made aware that they were being charged with performing the transmutation. Roy, as well as Ed, knew for a fact Roy never actually went through with it, that he was forced through the gate by Pride, but he also knew he wasn't in the position to argue it.

"Yes, we understand." Ed spoke up for him, nudging him with his elbow. Roy silently bowed his head in agreement.

"Fully knowing and understanding the charges against you, how do you plea?" Roy cleared his throat.

"Not guilty, by reason of justifiable homicide." He said, putting all of his strength into his voice. The judge raised an eyebrow, silently thinking for a moment.

"Very well." He picked up a pen, signing off on two pieces of paper before handing one to Olivier, and one to the prosecutor. "The trial will proceed as planned tomorrow morning starting at eight A.M sharp. Court dismissed." The sharp bang of the gavel caused Roy's heart to skip a beat. The team was silent as two police officers moved in to shackle them and escort them back to the jail, communicating with each other using only their eyes. It was a skill they had become accustom to on the island, bringing him back to the last light-hearted conversation they had what felt like forever ago, the first day of their living hell. He knew they would need to be stronger than ever now, that this last leg of the race was the most important, and that they couldn't speak on it until questioned in court.

Outside the courthouse was a mob of people, once again, protesting their innocence, their families and loved ones leading them. Signs were being held with "Free Team Mustang" written on them, among others, and the crowd seemed to be getting rowdy. A man holding a recording device approached them, no doubt a nosy reporter for the paper. He smiled, pressing the button on the device in his hand.

"Roy Mustang, a moment of your time to ask a few questions to you and your team?" The over zealous young man held the device out towards them to record anything they might say. Roy shook his head, continuing to walk.

"We will not say anything until we are addressed in court. You reporters like to skew every word that is said, and I am not going to compromise my team by having loose lips." The reporter opened his mouth to respond, but Maes put his hand up, silencing the man.

"He said no, end of discussion." The cuffed team slowly pushed their way through the crowd, humiliation radiating off their bodies like a physical heat.

"Mr. Hughes, how did you lose your eye while in custody?" The reporter persisted. No answer. "Edward Elric is it true you lost your limbs trying to bring your dead mother back to life?" Without a moment of hesitation, the general was between the team and the reporter, fire in her eyes. She ripped the recorder from his grasp, throwing it to the ground and smashing it with her foot.

"If you say one more word to any of them, your murder will be the next one addressed in court. Do you understand?" She growled, grinding her foot harder into the device to make her point. The young reporter, who had turned white as a ghost, nodded his head quickly and ducked down behind the mob behind him.

"We all know what's going on here!" A loud voice, which Roy recognized as his aunts, boomed over the noisy crowd. "These human beings were whisked away at random, hidden from the public as they were mercilessly tortured for none other than Hakuro's sick act of revenge! King Bradley was a monster, and they protected us! Now it is time we protected them." She paused for a moment, locking eyes with her nephew. A small, tired smile spread across his lips as the vehicles pulled around for them to be loaded into.

"That is my boy and his men standing there, and not one of them have a malicious bone in their bodies. I stand with Team Mustang!" She repeated the line several times before more and more voices joined hers. Soon, the entire crowd was chanting "I stand with Team Mustang!" The words hardly being muffled as the door to the car was slammed shut and began driving away. Only when the noise finally died down did Roy speak.

"General..." He said quietly, addressing the furious looking woman in the front seat. "Why didn't you tell us Edward and I were having additional charges brought against us?" She locked eyes with him in the mirror, her fury burning off her like the fires of hell.

"Because this is the first I'm hearing about it as well." She exhaled sharply. "That's Simon Greene for you. I'm positive he withheld the information from me. Anything to win a case, weather the accused is guilty or not."

"That's going to hurt our case...isn't it? Ed said, his eyes focused on his stocked wrists. "I am guilty of that, and Roy..."

"I know Elric." She said softly. "But the case still stands Mustang had to suffer the consequences regardless, it's going to be difficult to say otherwise."

"But its the truth! He didn't do the alchemy..."

"What's done is done, and I doubt anyone would believe otherwise." Roy closed his eyes, trying to steady his thoughts as they pulled up to the jail.

"So, what will you do?" Riza asked. Roy smiled at her, awkwardly patting her leg.

"I'll hold my head high, and accept any punishment given without argument."

* * *

"So, even if you are proven not guilty for Bradley...you two might still get pegged for human transmutation?" Ling asked, taking a bite of the questionable stew sitting in front of him. "What a load of horse shit." He frowned, looking between Ed and Roy.

"Might?" Ed sorrowfully laughed to himself. "It's a given. We both suffered the consequences, they are visible. Even if we tell them Roy didn't perform the transmutation, his blindness wasn't exactly brushed under the rug by the press." Jean shook his head, resting his chin on his hands.

"What are the sentences for that?" The group shook their heads in confusion.

"Well there's jail time for starters." A voice Roy dreaded to hear said from behind him. He turned to face Kimblee, who was standing to close to him for comfort. Bile rose in his throat as he felt the other mans body heat between them.

"What are you doing here, Kimblee?" Kain sneered, narrowing his eyes at the serpentine man. A sly smile spread across his lips as he placed a hand on Roy's shoulder, freezing him in his place as panic began to rise through his body.

"Well, I need to have a few words with Mustang here of course." He pulled out a piece of paper, showing it to the group. "I have Fuhrer Hakuro's approval to be here." Roy stood quickly, finally getting out of his grasp. Steadying his breathing, he buried his fear and in a calm voice said,

"What kind of words? Speak them quickly and get away from us." Kimblee laughed, sharply grabbing his elbow and ushering him out of the cafeteria.

"Not here, this is private business between two _men._" Roy's stomach soured at the way he said the word. The worried looks on his team's faces almost made him vomit.

"You...can't go anywhere alone with him Roy." Ed said, avoiding eye contact with either man. Kimblee sneered, dragging Roy behind him, who, much to everyone's surprise, followed without hesitation.

"We are in the public jail now, he'd be a fool to try anything here." He hardened his face, staring daggers into the back of the man in front of him. "Make it quick."

* * *

"So...what's the deal with those two?" Ling asked once Kimblee and Roy disappeared into the hallway. Ed looked down, the sound of Roy's painful sobs that fateful night playing in his head.

"We don't exactly know. He never told us." He said, shivering. "But whatever it was, and we have a pretty solid idea, it was horrific and inhuman."

"Roy..." Maes started, running a shaking hand down his face. "He hasn't been the same since."

"Being in that hell hole changed us all," Heyman's exhaled. "But Roy really changed after that night."

"What do you think happened?" Lan Fan asked in a hushed voice, trying to keep their conversation private from the other inmates around them. Ed shook his head, finishing the rest of his rice before speaking.

"It wouldn't really be right of us to say. He didn't tell us a thing about it, practically begged us not to ask. If he couldn't even tell us...I don't feel it would be right to tell others what we think."

"I agree with Ed." Riza said, placing a gentle hand to the young alchemists shoulder. "Maybe in time he will tell us what happened, but until then our assumptions must stay to ourselves." Ling and Lan Fan exchanged worried glances.

"I think I have a pretty good idea of what you are getting at." Ling shivered, his eyes traveling back to the door they left through. "Hopefully whatever 'business' they have will be professional."

* * *

The conference room was empty when they entered, making Roy feel even more uneasy. He just wanted to get out of the room and as far away from the snake as possible, never to see his face again. But he knew no matter how hard he tried, he would be seeing the mans face for the rest of his life.

"Take a seat Mustang, this won't take long." Roy did as instructed, making sure to keep Kimblee in his line of sight at all times. Kimblee paced back and forth, a sickening smile on his face.

"Just tell me what you want so I can get out of here." Kimblee laughed, approaching Roy from behind and wrapping an arm around his shoulders.

"What? Don't enjoy our quality time together?" He leaned in closer so his lips were touching Roy's ear. "I personally think about it every night." He placed a soft kiss to Roy's neck, sending his mind into a panic. Roy roughly shoved Kimblee off him, turning to face the object of his nightmares.

"Don't fucking touch me." He said sternly, his hands shaking. Kimblee circled the man, causing his head to spin with dread.

"That's why I'm here. To talk about our wonderful night together." His laugh sent shivers down Roy's spine, but he straightened up and put on his best poker face.

"I don't want to talk about it." He snapped. Kimblee clapped his hands together, his grin growing into a menacing smile.

"Good. Because you're not going to. I forbid you to testify the details of that night." Roy raised an eyebrow, curiosity flowing through his brain like a tornado.

"And what if I refuse?" He allowed a smug grin to spread across his face. Kimblee growled, rushing to the man and pinning him to the table by his throat.

"Then you condemn your darling Aunt and sisters to a grisly fate." He tightened his grip on Roy's throat, completely cutting off air supply. "One by one I'll personally make sure they suffer for your insolence. I'll rape your sisters until their wombs are destroyed before slowly and painfully slaughtering them, one by one, while the rest watch." The door burst open and two officers rushed into the room causing Kimblee to release him, Roy choking as he desperately gulped air into his burning lungs.

"Everything okay here sir?" One of the officers asked Kimblee as the other lifted Roy from the table and cuffed his hands behind his back.

"Everything is fine here, just taking care of some business for Fuhrer Hakuro." He locked eyes with Roy, the sick smile returning. As Roy was being led out of the room and back to his cell, Kimblee called after him.

"Mark my words, Mustang. You defy me and you will regret it all the way beyond the grave."


End file.
